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REVIEW | Stereophonic, Duke of York's Theatre - London
- Harry Brogan
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
AD | Tickets gifted in exchange of an honest review
After winning Best Play at the 2024 Tony Awards®, Stereophonic crosses the pond and debuts at The Duke Of York’s Theatre in London. Be ready to be transported back to the 70s as you follow the journey of a fictional British-American rock band struggling to record their new album. Also, be ready to settle in to your seat, as the show runs for 3 hours and 15 minutes across 4 acts.
Directed by Daniel Aukin, written by David Adjmi with original music composed by Will Butler (of rock band Arcade Fire) performed live each night by the talented cast. Stereophonic is not just a story about the creation of an album, the building of a masterpiece, but also about the fragility of relationships (being love, friendship or professional), evolving identity and creative control. It’s a production that blurs the line between theatre and real life, as it turns more into a fly-on-the-wall style documentary with each member of the band bringing in their personal lives and troubles to the recording studio, letting them shape the music they create.
As any famous band there’s a clash of egos at play that make the recording process oh so very difficult for the poor sound engineers working on the project, Grover (Eli Gelb, original Broadway cast) and Charlie (Andrew R. Butler, also original Broadway cast) who often are the comedy relief of the story, ready to provide alarming amounts of cocaine to the band to ensure things keep going.
Drummer/Manager Simon (portrayed by Chris Stack, his role from the Broadway run and making his West End debut) is the group’s charming and reluctant paternal figure that tries to maintain the fragile ecosystem of the band, further composed by married British couple of bassist Reg (Zachary Hart) and keyboardist/vocalist Holly (Nia Towle) and American couple of guitarists/vocalists Peter (Jack Riddiford) and vocalist Diana (Lucy Karczewski, also making her West End debut). The couples’ personal and relationship problems only add to the pressure of creating art: Reg is falling apart in front of everyone as his drug and alcohol addiction are ruining his marriage with Holly.
Then there’s Diana struggling with the self-confidence needed to face stardom, especially as her partner Peter is a controlling and manipulative perfectionist who makes hers and everyone’s lives miserable, dragging the recording of the album for a whole year.
The entire cast is exceptional, not only in their performances but also musically. Each band member plays their own instruments and delivers beautiful live vocal harmonies with ease and authenticity. The songs are nostalgic, catchy, well composed and with intelligent lyrics. And we are so lucky to already have a cast album to immediately refer back to.
Zachary Hart’s portrayal of Reg is raw and heart breaking, a man visibly trying, failing and trying again to get back to stability after battling an addiction that made him lose his marriage to Holly. Nia Towle plays a strong-minded Holly, who won’t let her need for a happy ending compromise her professional career.
Jack Riddiford captures Peter’s charisma and cruelty with precision, revealing a man haunted by childhood trauma, jealous and threatened by anyone who might outshine him, especially Diana. Lucy Karczewski’s Diana, by contrast, is an example of endurance and deep personal transformation throughout the show. Karczewski's journey, subtle but profound, perfectly represents how women often shrink themselves to survive the insecurity of the men around them.
Particular praise is due to Eli Gelb as Grover, who brings both dry wit and quiet vulnerability to a role that could easily have been a stereotype. Gelb's timing is impeccable, and his reactions often tell a deeper story than the dialogue itself, and his comedy alongside Charlie’s is much needed during heavier moments.
The show’s length could be challenging for some, and it could do with trimming some of the long silences that happen more than a few times during the show. Meanwhile, some emotionally charged scenes, like Holly’s breakdown into tears toward the end, would benefit from a little more exploration.
Stereophonic doesn’t build to a traditional climax, there’s no big dramatic reveal or a showstopping finale. It’s more like the studio walls were cracked open and we were allowed to watch art being made, which is never linear nor clear cut so the chaos from multiple big personalities and stars in the making is to be expected. People argue, connect, make music, slams doors and walk out, come back, explode, and then pick up the pieces. The performances by the whole cast are so real, so raw and nuanced that it’s easy to forget that they are not really a 70s band living, loving and aching in front of our eyes. It’s a snippet of real life, and that’s what makes it so good.
★★★★.5
Stereophonic plays at the Duke of York's Theatre until the 11th of October
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