About the work
“Stereophonic” is a play by the American playwright David Adjmi with songs by Will Butler, a founding member of Arcade Fire. It premiered in October 2023 at Playwrights Horizons in New York, directed by Daniel Aukin; in April 2024 the production transferred to Broadway at the John Golden Theatre. Structured in four acts, the play runs for just over three hours.
Plot
In 1976 a British-American rock band records its second album in a studio in Sausalito, California. Over the course of about a year, the play follows the five band members and two sound engineers at work. Between artistic ambition, perfectionism and the tensions in the couples within the band, the conflicts grow while the album slowly takes shape.
Cultural significance
Critics noted parallels to Fleetwood Mac and the making of their album “Rumours” (1977). At the 2024 Tony Awards “Stereophonic” received 13 nominations, more than any play before, and won five, including Best Play and Best Direction. A West End production in London (2025) and a US tour followed.