Stereophonic (play)
| Stereophonic | |
|---|---|
Broadway promotional poster | |
| Written by | David Adjmi |
| Directed by | Daniel Aukin |
| Music by | Will Butler |
| Lyrics by | Will Butler |
| Date premiered | October 29, 2023 |
| Place premiered | Playwrights Horizons, New York City |
| Original language | English |
| Subject | A rock band attempting to record a monumental album amidst increased tensions over a year |
| Setting | California, 1976-77 |
| Official site | |
Stereophonic is a dramatic stage play with music, written by American playwright David Adjmi. Music written for the play was composed by Will Butler from the indie rock band Arcade Fire. The 4-act play follows a fictional rock band on the cusp of superstardom as they struggle through recording their new album set from 1976 to 1977.
The show, which exceeds 3 hours, received great critical acclaim, with critics affectionately comparing the material to the real-life band Fleetwood Mac and the creation of their 1977 album Rumours.
The original Broadway production made history when it garnered 13 overall nominations at the 77th Tony Awards, breaking the record previously held by the Jeremy O. Harris play Slave Play (2020) to receive the most nominations for a play in the history of the ceremony; The play proceeded to win five awards: Best Play (which it also won at the Drama Desk Award, the Drama League Award, the Outer Critics Circle Award, and the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award), Best Direction of a Play, Best Featured Actor in a Play (for Will Brill; Eli Gelb and Tom Pecinka also received nominations for the award), Best Scenic Design of a Play and Best Sound Design of a Play. Juliana Canfield and Sarah Pidgeon both received nominations for Best Featured Actress in a Play.
The production debuted at Playwrights Horizons off-Broadway in 2023 before transferring to Broadway at the John Golden Theatre in 2024 and subsequently to the West End's Duke of York’s Theatre in 2025, with the latter two runs receiving two extensions.