Stereophonic (play) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Stereophonic
Broadway promotional poster
Written by	David Adjmi
Date of premiere	October 29, 2023
Place of premiere	Playwrights Horizons, New York City
Original language	English
Genre	Drama
Setting	Sausalito, California, 1976
Official site: https://stereophonicplay.com/

Stereophonic is an exciting stage play with music. It was written by American playwright David Adjmi. The music for the play was created by Will Butler, who is known from the indie rock band Arcade Fire.

The story follows a made-up rock band. They are on the edge of becoming huge stars. The play shows their struggles while they record a new album. This happens between 1976 and 1977. The play first opened off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons in 2023. Later, it moved to Broadway at the John Golden Theatre in 2024.

Critics loved Stereophonic. Many compared the band's story to the real-life band Fleetwood Mac. They also noted similarities to how Fleetwood Mac made their famous 1977 album, Rumours.

The play made history by getting the most Tony Awards nominations ever for a play. It received 13 nominations! This broke the old record of 12 nominations held by Slave Play. At the 77th Tony Awards, Stereophonic won five awards. These included Best Play and Best Direction of a Play. Will Brill won for Best Featured Actor in a Play. The play also won for Best Sound Design and Best Scenic Design.

Stereophonic also won several other major awards. These included the Drama Desk Award and the Drama League Award. It also received the Outer Critics Circle Award and the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Play.

What the Play is About

In 1976, a famous British-American rock band is working on their next album. They are recording in a studio in Sausalito, California. The band members are Simon (drummer), Reg (bassist) and Holly (keyboardist/vocalist) who are married, and Peter (guitarist/vocalist) and Diana (vocalist/tambourinist) who are long-time partners.

Two sound engineers, Grover and Charlie, help them. Even with lots of studio help, the band members have many disagreements. Tensions grow high among them. Because of this, recording the album takes more than a year.

Act I: Starting the Album in Sausalito

The band begins recording their second album in Sausalito. Simon, the drummer, tries to keep everyone calm. Meanwhile, Reg and Holly's marriage is having serious problems. This is partly due to Reg's personal challenges.

The band starts practicing new songs. Peter, the guitarist and album producer, often changes things. Diana, Peter's girlfriend, struggles with her confidence when performing. Grover, one of the engineers, admits he stretched the truth about his past work to get the job.

Simon shares exciting news: one of Diana's songs is now a top ten hit! Their first album is also back in the top forty. Their record company has given them much more money for this new album. Diana then performs a new song called "Bright."

Holly tells Diana she is moving out of the band's shared home. Reg is upset, but Holly says she can no longer be responsible for his struggles. The band argues while recording Holly's song "Drive."

Act II: September 1976

While recording "Seven Roads," Simon gets frustrated by a ringing sound in the drums. He becomes very focused on fixing it. Reg is now doing better and taking care of himself. This helps ease some of the tension between him and Holly.

Diana and Holly talk about how strange their new fame feels. Diana worries about not being an expert musician. Holly thinks about the compromises needed in relationships.

The band records different versions of "Bright." Peter pushes Diana to remove some parts of her song. They argue about Peter's critical nature and Diana's need for support. Their fight brings up old disagreements.

Grover helps fix problems while recording "Masquerade." He convinces Simon to use a "click track" to stay on beat. After 37 tries, the song is perfect! Everyone celebrates.

Act III: Late 1976 to Early 1977

Late December 1976

Diana has trouble hitting a high note in "East of Eden." Peter criticizes her harshly. Diana asks to speak with Peter alone. Grover and Charlie listen in as Diana ends her relationship with Peter. A heartbroken Diana returns to the studio and finally hits the note.

March 1977

Grover tells Charlie that Holly and Reg have also broken up. He feels overwhelmed by how much work recording the album has become. Simon tells Holly that his wife is leaving him. After Peter asks Grover to record over a song, Peter becomes very upset and acts aggressively towards Grover. Simon has to step in.

Peter later says he is sorry. But Grover is tired of dealing with the band members' big personalities. Reg talks about the band moving to a studio in Los Angeles. He also mentions his new relationship. Holly overhears and they argue.

Act IV: Finishing the Album in Los Angeles

First week of June 1977, Los Angeles, CA

Diana, Peter, and Holly record background vocals for "Drive" very early in the morning. Diana and Peter argue and insult each other. Later, Reg gets upset because Peter re-recorded his bass parts. Simon confronts Peter about being too controlling. He tells Peter that he is pushing his bandmates away.

Peter then begs Diana to get back together, but she refuses. Reg congratulates Grover on being promoted to a producer on the album. Grover is not happy about it, saying the process has been too painful. Reg admits he has faced a setback with his personal challenges. However, he still believes life is good.

The band and engineers meet to discuss shortening the album. Diana refuses to cut parts from her songs. She would rather remove "Bright" entirely. Diana tells Holly that she is getting a solo album deal. Holly has mixed feelings about this.

Grover comforts Diana. He sees the recording process as "a nightmare." But Diana tells him that recording the album, despite the emotional difficulty, was "the best thing that's ever happened to [her]." She also reveals that everyone in the band knew Grover had not been completely truthful about his past experience. But Peter still wanted to hire him. Grover stays in the studio alone, editing "Drive."

How the Play Was Made

David Adjmi and Will Butler started working on Stereophonic in 2014. They developed the project in 2018 at the Sundance Institute Theatre Lab. Adjmi wanted the play to feel like a documentary happening live on stage. He wanted to avoid it becoming a full musical.

The stage set includes real music recording equipment. Eli Gelb, one of the actors, explained, "It’s all recorded live. The entire band, every instrument, every audio signal ... every night. Every audio signal that you hear is routed to a mixer." This means the music you hear in the play is actually being played live by the actors.

Play History

Off-Broadway Performances (2023)

The play first opened Off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons on October 6, 2023. It officially opened on October 26, directed by Daniel Aukin. The Washington Post called it the Best Play of the Year. Many other publications also named Stereophonic one of the best plays of 2023. The play ran for a long time due to its popularity. It finally closed on December 17, 2023.

Broadway Performances (2024–2025)

In January 2024, it was announced that the play would move to Broadway. It started preview performances on April 2, 2024. The official Broadway opening was on April 19 at the John Golden Theatre. The show was originally planned for a limited time. However, it was extended many times because so many people wanted to see it.

The Broadway production received great reviews. It earned 13 nominations and 5 wins at the 77th Tony Awards. Stereophonic won Best Play. Will Brill won for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play. Daniel Aukin won for Best Direction of a Play. David Zinn won for Best Scenic Design. Ryan Rumery won for Best Sound Design.

Stereophonic now holds the record for the most Tony nominations ever received by a play. It surpassed the previous record held by Slave Play. Some cast members left the show on September 29, 2024. New actors took over their roles. The production closed on January 12, 2025.

West End Performances (2025)

In January 2025, it was announced that the show would move to the West End in London. Performances are set to begin in May 2025 at the Duke of York’s Theatre. Eli Gelb, Andrew R. Butler, and Chris Stack will play their roles again. New actors will also join the cast.

US Tour (2025–2026)

A tour across the United States is planned to start in October 2025. It will begin at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle. The tour will also visit the Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles from December 9, 2025, to January 2, 2026.

Original Cast and Characters

Notable Replacements on Broadway

• Diana: Amy Forsyth
• Holly: Rebecca Naomi Jones

Songs in the Play

Stereophonic is not a musical, but it features original songs. These songs are inspired by the 1970s. They are played live in the "studio" set as the play shows the album being recorded. In all productions, the actors sing and play all the music themselves. Many cast members had to learn their instruments for the show. For example, Will Brill, who plays the bassist, had never even held a bass guitar before being cast!

An album of the music from Stereophonic was released online on May 10, 2024. It became available on CD on June 14, 2024.

Song List

• "Seven Roads"
• "Bright v1"
• "Masquerade"
• "Bright (Fast)"
• "Drive"
• "Champagne"
• "East of Eden"
• "Domino"
• "'It's made of teak'"
• "In Your Arms"
• "BVs"
• "Exorcist II"
• "Campfire Masquerade"
• "Bright (Take 22)"

Lawsuit Information

In October 2024, a lawsuit was filed against the play Stereophonic. The lawsuit claimed the play was too similar to a book called Making Rumours: The Inside Story of the Classic Fleetwood Mac Album. This book was written by Ken Caillat and Steven Stiefel. The lawsuit said the play used parts of the book without permission. It mentioned events similar to Caillat’s experiences as a sound engineer for Fleetwood Mac's 1977 album Rumours. In December 2024, the lawsuit was settled, meaning they reached an agreement outside of court.

Awards and Nominations

2023 Off-Broadway Awards

2024 Broadway Awards