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‘Stereophonic’ Review: Behind the Music, There’s Theatrical Solid Gold in This New Broadway Play
Ever so gradually, this behind-the-music tale turns into something altogether fresh and, in this musical-play hybrid form, indefinable.
As each of the five members of the almost-famous band arrives at the Sausalito studio to record its follow-up to its break-out album, you might think you were in the middle of a Robert Altman film with its overlapping dialogue, multiple actions on stage and swings of mood and focus. One might think at first this is a tantalizing behind-the-music documentary on the making of a record like Fleetwood Mac’s era-defining “Rumours.” But these characters — and the terrific ensemble of actors who could probably tour as a band after the Broadway run — become uniquely suited to Adjmi’s thematic purposes. As the sleep-deprived sessions go from days to weeks to months and beyond, the theater-verité feel established at the beginning subtly shifts and more specific scenes of creative and relationship dramas emerge, whether on break or while recording in the studio.
Or read this on Variety