The Sleepless Critic

As it is with making anything significant, creating begs a steep price.  No pain.  No gain.

Inside this expansive 70s music recording studio, upcoming rock band Here takes a crash course in this hard earned lesson.

Sleekly directed by Daniel Aukin with Justin Craig’s intricate music direction and Will Butler’s dynamic original songs, David Adjmi’s Stereophonic took the stage live and in person for a limited run from Tuesday, March 10 through Sunday, March 15 at Emerson Colonial Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts and is currently on a national tour.  The music-inspired production contains mature dialogue, performed in four acts and runs 3 hours and 10 minutes including an intermission.  Click here for more information on their Boston run here for details on their national tour.

Prior to attending Stereophonic, I was visiting Thinking Cup on Tremont Street in Boston and one of the employees happened to be streaming Fleetwood Mac’s acclaimed 1977 Rumours album. I asked about it and he revealed he was a big fan of their music and felt like playing it, not knowing that just across the street Stereophonic would be loosely paying tribute to not only Fleetwood Mac, but the many artists who indulged in the power and art of painstaking music creation during that era without an auto tune in sight.

It’s no secret that Fleetwood Mac has stood the test of time as one of the world’s greatest bands, but hearing Dreams in that popular café was the perfect opening act for this show.

However, you do not have to be Fleetwood Mac fan to enjoy this production.  I was also a fan of Amazon’s Prime’s Daisy and the Six which is also loosely based on the story of Fleetwood Mac. Built for any music lover, Stereophonic concentrates much more on the tricky and collective process of creating an album and could represent the story of any band.

Stereophonic follows rock band Here entirely from an elaborate recording studio in Sausalito, California from 1976 to 1977.  David Zinn’s finely-tuned and functional glass-dual level recording studio set allows you to simultaneously see what is happening on both floors as plenty of drama takes place inside the recording booth as well as behind the scenes.  Adjmi’s energetic dialogue kicks off the opening scene already in progress taking place the day after a big rehearsal night in overlapping and at times frenzied-under-high-pressure tones.  With Jiyoun Chang’s urgent lighting measuring the progression of time, the audience is a fly on the wall and an omniscient presence privy to the secrets these musicians are keeping from one another as they contemplate their next song.   

Having worked inside radio stations for many years, Zinn’s set resonated with me.  The life of a radio talent and a musician share some similarities exemplified in a scene involving Jack Barrett as Grover and Steven Lee Johnson as Charlie who talk their way into a gig as a pair of rookie sound engineers.  It’s all about the music and living that rock and roll dream.

Radio stations and studios can be open 24 hours a day and a musician or a radio personality can be working exhausting hours anywhere within that 24 hour period into the wee hours of the morning. With fluffy pillows and blankets, a radio station or a recording studio couch is not just convenient for studio visitors, but a place to crash if you are recording overnight.

Stereophonic hones in on the music process and what a meticulous undertaking it is, especially surrounded by musicians who can barely agree on what to do next, never mind tempo and rhythms.  They riff, debate, share outlandish ideas, philosophize, joke and reflect like family at their best and at their worst.

The production features quite a bit of nostalgia through a wealth of 70s pop culture references, especially from Fleetwood Mac and other famous 70s rock bands such as The Eagles or the Doobie Brothers. Enver Chakartash’s colorful costumes speak to the hippie/disco era in bell bottoms, suspenders, and button down shirts as well as vividly patterned and flowing dresses.

 The cast exhibits strong vocals even as harmony and discord unleash onstage.  From song snippets to a full song run through, you can’t help but long to hear more music and how the entire album turns out.

Swinging a tambourine, Claire Dejean brings to life naïve and insecure yet creatively gifted Diana who shares both harmony and discord with Denver MiLord as frustrated perfectionist Peter.  They are a couple who perpetually challenge each other to a boiling point.  Dejean’s Diana bonds with Emilie Kouatchou as best friend and band mate Holly who also has her own relationship troubles.

Though the production would be just as impactful in a briefer timeframe, Stereophonic delivers a mix of somber, tense and humorous moments with Christopher Mowod standing out through a mix of humor and seriousness as unfiltered British musician Reg.  Stephen Lee Johnson as Charlie and Jack Barrett as Grover share great chemistry and lend some lightheartedness to the show while Cornelius McMoyler brings an intensity to firm, level headed yet overwhelmed manager Simon.  McMoyler’s Simon wise and stoic exchange with MiLord’s Peter is one of the show’s most intense highlights.

Pursuing your passion often requires more than you bargained for and Stereophonic takes a deep dive into inevitable impact of long hours, partying, what smells like real smoking, and drug use.  It also depicts the resourcefulness, perfectionism, and the drama behind the scenes as a band spends every hour together pouring their lives into creating what they hope is an album masterpiece while their personal lives hang in the balance.

Such is the art of rock and roll.

Stereophonic is currently on a national tour.  Click here for further details and tickets.