If the Vineyard Theater’s current Scene Partners is the fever dream of a movie fan desperate for acceptance and fulfillment, Stereophonic, at Playwrights Horizons, is a brutal reality check and harsh reminder of the cost of fame. Set in two different, equally claustrophobic recording studios in the late 1970s (David Zinn—again—designed the accurate period setting), this finely detailed work follows the ardurous creation of an album from a Fleetwood Mac-like group as their relationships shift and finally break apart under the pressure of producing a Billboard chart climber. Playwright David Adjmi’s dialogue, the realistic acting and Daniel Aukin’s seamless direction are so naturalistic, it feels like we’re spying on these volatile creatives.
When lead singer and songwriter Diana’s single from their previous album becomes a hit, it causes jealous friction from her boyfriend Peter, the lead guitarist and demanding head of the group who senses she is the real talent of the company. British married couple Reg (bass guitar) and Holly (keyboards and vocals) are constantly bickering over Reg’s excessive alcohol and drug abuse, while drummer Simon is conflicted between his ambition to manage the group and missing his wife and children back in England. Meanwhile, engineer Grover and his assistant Charlie frantically attempt to keep up with the constant changes in tempo, volume, and temperament. By the time the album is completed, both couples have split, Diana is on her way up, Grover has been promoted to producer, and the artists are left questioning their values and relationships.
The seven-member ensemble are so integrated into Adjmi’s material and Will Butler’s rapturous, yearning rock songs, it’s hard to single anyone out. Sarah Pidgeon perfectly conveys Diana’s insecurities and self-deprecation even as she beautifully performs the tender ache in a series of rock ballads. Juliana Canfield captures Holly’s strength and perceptiveness, particularly in a strangely moving monologue describing the character’s favorite film, “Don’t Look Now.”
Tom Pecinka balances Peter’s driven and obnoxious perfectionism with a gnawing vulnerability. Chris Stack does an equally fine job of combining Simon’s ambition and his domestic impulses. Will Brill is brilliantly funny as the stoned Reg as are Eli Gelb and Andrew R. Butler as the harried Grover and Charlie.
Stereophonic is like a Robert Altman film in the seemingly unstudied, relaxed way it depicts the musicians’ clashes and struggles and how they pour them into their work. The three-hour running time zooms by. Kudos also to Enver Chakartash’s period costumes and Ryan Rumery’s sensitive sound design, capturing ever aural nuance of the songs as their creation and execution is dramatized.
