Stereophonic mines the agony and the ecstasy of creation as it zooms in on a music studio in 1976, where an up-and-coming rock band finds itself on the cusp of superstardom. Written by David Adjmi, directed by Daniel Aukin, and featuring original music by Arcade Fire’s Will Butler, this electrifying new play takes audiences inside the powder keg process of a band on the brink of blowing up.
"I was disappointed overall in The play. I wasn't afforded The opportunity to really connect with any of The characters. The plot was thin at best. What little music we heard was excellent, there should have been more of it. "
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Broadway.com Customer on Dec 27, 2024
Very Underwhelming!
"In the first five minutes, I was thinking that I hoped it would get better. It did not. The actors spoke over each other. There was a lot of mumbling from a speaker. It was very slow and quite boring. And there was not a lot of music. It started and stopped abruptly. Unfortunately I fell asleep and we left at intermission. I’ve never left a Broadway play before. "
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Carol N from Monroeville on Dec 20, 2024
Too long and overall boring...
"This 3hr 10min play would greatly benefit from substantial editing, starting with the pregnant-pauses. The over-talking of multiple actors talking over each other makes it impossible to follow the through-line. There were some very nice overarching messaging of love, loyalty, and commitment, but the the same messaging could have be delivered in half the time in a much more interesting way. Most of the characters were unlikable, which made the 3hrs 10min all the more challenging to sit through. The only parts of Stereophonic I did enjoy were the vocal singing pieces, which were sadly soon interrupted by more over-talking and more pregnant pauses. "
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Jaime C from SAN FRANCISCO on Nov 11, 2024
Got the Point in the First Half Hour
"The play was way too long, just like how long it took them to make their 2nd album. I didn't need to spend over $125 to listen to people arguing for 3.50 hours. Hard to relate to any of the characters. Might have made a difference if I had grown up in that era. Didn't find any of them enjoyable with all the drugs, drinking, and arguing.
The set was very good. The sound board was original and used well in the play. Did like that the actors knew how to play their instruments, and of course were all awesome singers."
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Broadway.com Customer on Oct 4, 2024
So Disappointing!
"I thought the show was unnecessarily long and boring. The first act was slow and the dialogue was mostly boring. I didn’t care about any of the characters in the band. Things improved when the music began, about 30 minutes into the show. I really do not understand all the glowing reviews. I couldn’t wait for it to finally end."
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Broadway.com Customer on Oct 3, 2024
Stereophonic is a huge disappointment
"I’ve been going to Broadway plays for 25 years. For a production that won the 2024 Tony for best play, Stereophonic is a huge disappointment.
There is so much wrong with this play, I don’t know where to start.
Some plays start slow, build steam, and finish strong. Stereophonic never left the starting gate.
The storyline is weak; a 1970s rock band, living in a culture of heavy drug use and near complete dysfunction between the band members on their way to stardom. Stereophonic is loosely based on Fleetwood Mac. There are no Fleetwood Mac songs in the play, which may have been a lifeline for the audience.
Including intermission, this play ran three (3) hours and 15 minutes. My wife and I thought the play was over at intermission. That’s how long it was.
The length was unnecessary and added nothing to the story. The stage set never changed; an unimpressive recording studio where the band was working on their next album.
The story never took form. There was no beginning, middle, or end-even when the band reached stardom. That’s because for the 3+ hours of this misery, there was little else than continuous drug use, dysfunction, and loud music (not to mention a lot of cigarette smoking). Everyone in our group found the play depressing and disturbing. Maybe that’s what the writer, director, and producer wanted. But to what end?
The one silver lining in this very dark cloud, was the singing, most notably, by Amy Forsyth and Rebecca Naomi Jones. They are awesome and have beautiful voices.
It’s impossible to like the character played by Benjamin Anthony Anderson, so don’t even try.
If you want to see something new on Broadway, spend your money on The Outsiders (fantastic) or Oh Mary (hilarious)."
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Gregory B from Shreveport on Jan 3, 2025
Stereophonic was an exercise is shear narcissism
"Every year we come into NY and pick a Broadway show to see with the family. Stereophonic had been so well regarded we were shocked that we could hardly sit thought the first act. The show had a very thin story line, all the characters were unidimensional and unsympathetic. There was almost no music - the least you might expect from 3.5 hour play about the making of an album. The dialogue was torturous and the humour fell flat. I could see many other patrons with their heads in their hands at the performance and at our hotel breakfast the next day we heard another table expressing similar feelings about the show. It was 3.5 hours of absolutely nothing of substance.
I wish I had known before we wasted our time and money. "
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Broadway.com Customer on Jan 1, 2025
Lame plot
"None of my group liked this show. It lacked an engaging plot, and most of us were dozing. the few times the band sang a full song it was entertaining. But I would not recommend this to anyone."
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Broadway.com Customer on Dec 9, 2024
What a disappointment!
"I don’t know how you manage to make a play about a 70’s rock band boring and tedious, but they did it. This was a painful 3 hour show that went nowhere. I kept waiting for something to happen but it was the same old story told a million times of ego, drug use and failed relationships with no new take or spin or wit. I thought there would at least be some redeeming music but the show is mostly a straight play. I didn’t feel like I was rooting for any of the characters and made myself stay for the entire play which I regret. What a waste of time and money. "
