Stereophonic, David Adjmi’s Broadway hit that has transferred to the West End’s Duke of York’s Theatre, takes us back to the 1970s, and a recording of a fictional band’s latest album. Adjmi has repeatedly denied that the play is based on Fleetwood Mac’s recording of their Rumors album, although one must admit that there are stark similarities – a five piece band, consisting of two couples, including a new American duo that are causing friction within the group. Regardless, it makes for a fascinating insight into the world of the 70s music industry. Beginning in California, and moving to LA for later scenes, the play takes place entirely within a recording studio. David Zinn’s set design puts us in the same room as the sound engineers, with the band taking their places behind a perspex screen, before emerging from the recording room to listen back to their tapes and make further adjustments. Under the direction of Daniel Aukin, this is an incredibly naturalistic slice-of-life drama, a long yet engaging exploration of what it means to be creative and find inspiration in the face of overwhelming pressure.
The band, which remains unnamed throughout, consists of British married couple Reg (Zachary Hart) and Holly (Nia Towle, who is having an incredible year after starring in the RSC’s Hamlet back in March), American couple Peter (Jack Riddiford) and Diana (Lucy Karczewski), and percussionist Simon (understudy Steve Shirley) who clearly had a hand in forming the band and sees himself as the official “owner”, whilst other members have drifted in and out. We join them as they embark upon their new album, whilst still tracking the progress of their existing singles in the charts. Assisting them are sound engineers Grover (Eli Gelb) and Charlie (Andrew R. Butler), who introduce some element of drama early on when Grover confesses to Charlie that he lied on his CV, and hasn’t actually got the wealth of experience he originally claimed to have.
And yet “drama” is an odd word for this play, in that not an awful lot happens. There are moments of incredible tension, as Peter and Diana’s relationship slowly breaks down, only to become sour and bitter by the end. There are also moments of sadness as Simon struggles living away from his wife and children. And amidst all this are moments of comedy, and elation and discovery. The play takes us on this journey of discovery, as we see the album put together piece by piece; tempos are changed, volumes adjusted, reverbs turned up and bass turned down. There are moments where the play indulges in the technical nature, and where the main action revolves around Gelb turning knobs whilst the musicians wait around impatiently. There are great swathes of time where no one speaks, all lost in their own tasks and thoughts. There are other moments where several conversations occur at once, which can appear a little disconcerting but adds to the realism of the piece. Most of all, it feels authentic, and the characters feel real. Maybe that’s why it’s so easy to care about them, even when they begin hurling horrific insults at each other, and the entire process regresses into a childlike name-calling contest.
Throughout it all, scenes are punctuated with original songs, courtesy of orchestrator Will Butler. But rest assured that this is no musical. The songs are performed, not for the audience, but for the album. Occasionally they cut out suddenly as a musician asks for their headphones to be adjusted. The audience witness several retakes, songs completely reimagined as instruments are changed, and melodies are sped up. The second half focuses on the fine-tuning, as different musicians record their parts individually, touching up previous recordings. We are not privy to the full tune (it plays only in the actors earphones), we only hear the extras being recorded, before the musicians ask the engineers to play it back for them, and we finally get to hear a snippet of the finished track. And the music is so reminiscent of 70s rock bands that it can’t help but leave you wanting more. We are never allowed to indulge in a full track during the play, although thankfully recordings are available via Spotify.
The play has a long runtime of 3 hours and 15 minutes, and yet it is utterly compelling throughout. The actors are able to hold your attention, whether it be an incredibly tense interlude that sees Simon fiddling with his snare drum, or an elongated conversation about houseboats courtesy of a drugged up Reg. Casting director Julia Horan has done a magical job in finding actors to portray these characters with utmost authenticity, and that is what makes them so engaging. It genuinely feels like a window back through time. The oranges and browns of Zinn’s set design are perfectly accompanied by Jiyoun Chang’s lighting design, which features subtle adjustments throughout to indicate different times of day, and Enver Chakartash’s costumes – and there are many different costumes employed to signify days and months passing as the creative process drags on longer than any of the band members anticipated.
There is a lot of drama in the lives of this musical fivesome. Relationships end, start again, and end again – prospects of marriage and pregnancy and family and futures are discussed, but we are not witness to any overly dramatic moments or turning points. We are left to fill in the gaps, seeing only the quieter moments. There are no “main” characters, each character is seemingly given equal stage time, including engineers Grover and Charlie, who get their own story arcs as their lives intermingle with those of the band. In a world of sex and drugs and rock-and-roll, what we see here is relatively tame, but it is the antics hinted at outside of the recording studio that captures our imagination, drives the story forward, and makes for fascinating viewing.
Whether or not this play is based on Fleetwood Mac (and their producer certainly seemed to think so, going as far as to sue the play’s creators) is besides the point. What this show does, so incredibly well, is take a group of characters and make you care about them. The moment of elation at the end of the first act, as the group finally nail a big number for their album and set about congratulating themselves, is exactly how you’ll feel coming out of this play. A magnificent work of art that is not to be missed.
Tom Morley, August 2025
Review Round-up:
WhatsOnStage: Stereophonic West End Review – WoS calls this a “music studio masterpiece”, and their 5 star review applauds the “immersive detail, of something being made as you watch and listen“
The Independent: Stereophonic review – Four stars for The Independent, who discuss the private and intimate nature of creating music. “We shouldn’t really watch – but we can’t look away.”
The Times: Stereophonic review – A measly 3 stars from The Times, who sum up by saying “it won five Tonys but this drama badly needs an edit”
And I’d just like to end with a quote from a lady that I overheard speaking to her friend as she left the theatre: “It was well-acted, but God it was boring.” Each to their own, I guess.
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