Stereophonic
Playwrights Horizons
Original songs by Will Butler
Stereophonic, David Adjmi’s play about a band about to make it big in 1976, debuted April 19 on Broadway, featuring all-new songs written by Will Butler (Arcade Fire). Since then, the play itself has blown up, rivaling that other famous play, Hamilton, in its ubiquitous media presence. It’s easy to see why this play was nominated for 13 Tony Awards after listening to the original cast recording.
Accomplished musicians in their own right, the Broadway cast — Will Brill (Reg), Andrew R. Butler (Charlie), Juliana Canfield (Holly), Eli Gelb (Grover), Tom Pecinka (Peter), Sarah Pidgeon (Diana), and Chris Stack (Simon) — are incredibly believable as 1970-era almost-superstars. In-between-track band banter about The Exorcist II and whether “we still got it” adds authenticity and weight to the recording. Butler’s songs, written to seem as if spawned from the dregs of the late ’60s, are a magnificent tour de force, especially as the artist missed the ’70s by 12 years.
Stereophonic is playing through August 19 at Broadway’s Golden Theatre. The album is streaming everywhere, and CDs ship June 14. Preorder now from Broadway Merchandise Shop.
