Review: STEREOPHONIC, Duke of York’s Theatre
Photo credit: Marc Brenner
It's 1976 and a rock band is walking the fine line between success and failure. They’ve been given a year and unlimited studio time in order to record a new album that could make them all stars. As the pressure to get this right builds, personal realities clash with creative and business endeavours, leading to the question of whether or not the band will survive the year.
The show was first performed at Playwrights Horizons (Off Broadway) in 2023 to great success. It then opened at the Golden Theatre in April 2024, where it ran until mid January this year. The current run at the Duke of York’s Theatre marks the show’s official West End debut.
The set is about as realistic as you can get; a recording studio has been built with all its furnishings. The live room is upstage and the control room is downstage, merely separated by a wide pane of glass. The costumes follow the same realistic vein, showcasing a range of styles which reflect the period.
There’s no doubt about what kind of performance style the show is going to use to tell the story and we would be lying if we said we didn’t start feeling a bit apprehensive about the show’s three hour run time given this. However, the story, the medium and the pace are so harmonious that the time flies and we find ourselves wishing that we could go back to the start of the ‘masquerade’ so we could experience the show all over again.
The individual character arcs diverge and intersect flawlessly, each giving us a different insight into the potential challenges of attempting this particular artistic endeavour.
A particular highlight is Grover’s arc. It is so gripping to watch Grover’s disillusionment as he gets caught up in the middle of everyone else’s problems. Yes, he does achieve his particular goal and achieves external success but this comes with the cost of the breaking of his spirit, which doesn’t feel worth the sacrifice. Eli Gelb gives a stellar performance in the role, initially portraying him as relaxed with a very open and slow-moving physicality, which gradually gets tighter and more frantic as the show goes on. We‘re forced to see the true extent of the damages the other characters do, reflected in the way Grover changes.
Writer David Adjmi really shows off his understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of using the medium of realism. He ensures that every single moment is used to the full extent of its dramatic potential whilst remaining aware of steady balance, shown through his use of humour and careful placement of moments of silence. His writing is almost musical theatre-esque in its flow of tension and release as the play builds to its pinnacle in the third act, which feels like an eleven o’clock number but is made all the more powerful without music.
There’s a sinister subtlety in the way he hides the themes of the piece in plain sight, which all comes to a head as we watch a would-be creative genius become a villain. The music almost acts as a distraction, lulling us into a false sense of security and challenging us to question our ideas about creative expression.
Who really has power/control in a collaboration? Is it okay to let someone push personal and professional boundaries for the sake of creating truly exceptional art? Where do we draw the line between artistic temperament and toxicity? Is it okay to let a piece of art die for the sake of keeping our values and morals intact? All of which are asked, none of which are answered. That’s what makes this play memorable in addition to its music.
The music consists of original songs by Will Butler, in the style of 70’s rock. The songs are lyrically gorgeous and surprisingly catchy, performed expertly by this strong actor-muso cast. It is captivating to watch them play live in the recording booth and to play various versions of them over and over. This really aids in the believability of the given circumstances and helps us see how Peter (played by Jack Riddiford)’s perfectionism over his creative vision exacerbates pre-existing problems. Peter is meticulous and you can hear this in every slight change within the music constructed by any other character.
Whilst it may be set in the 70’s and may not feel particularly immediate, it sends a message that is timeless. This cast are a real gift to the stage and the show’s storyline is as flawless as its music.
***** Five stars
Reviewed by: Megan O’Neill
Stereophonic plays at London’s Duke of York’s Theatre until 11 October, with tickets available here.
