(From L) Cornelius McMoyler as ‘Simon’ and Christopher Mowodas ‘Reg’ in the First National Tour of Stereophonic. Photo: Julieta Cervantes
The hours of the night stretch long, and the fog grows colder in a Sausalito recording studio as a band fights its way out of friendship and into opus. It’s 1976, and the now-closed Record Plant in Sausalito has come back to life to grace the stage of the Curran Theatre for the 13-time Tony-nominated play Stereophonic, a work that questions how much of their sanity artists are willing to sacrifice while birthing a masterpiece.
David Zinn’s clever set design immediately drops us into a wood-paneled recording studio as an unnamed band (that most certainly resembles Fleetwood Mac) struggles to piece together an iconic album through fights, sex, drugs, and failing relationships. The album and story, running parallel to the making of Rumours, even sparked a now-settled lawsuit from Fleetwood Mac’s sound engineer. While the story isn’t an exact replica, it’s hard not to read Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks into the play’s controlling artistic leader, Peter (Denver Milord), and ethereal, insecure songstress Diana (Claire DeJean).
(From L) Claire DeJean as ‘Diana’ and Denver Milord as ‘Peter’ in the First National Tour of Stereophonic. Photo: Julieta Cervantes.
David Adjmi’s musically driven drama, infused with songs by Will Butler of Arcade Fire, shows us a band falling to pieces even before the recording begins. Jolly bass player Reg (Christopher Mowod) is addiction incarnate as he sniffs his way through a massive bag of cocaine while walking the tightrope between musical genius and breakdown. He’s undeniably lovable, if doomed. His wife, Holly (Emilie Kouatchou) watches as she slowly pulls away, while sweet, peaceful Simon (Cornelius McMoyler) manages the chaos until an unexplained buzz from his drums finally breaks him. At the helm of this madness sits untried engineer Grover (Jack Barrett) and his trusty, oblivious sidekick Charlie (Steven Lee Johnson).
(From L) Denver Milord as 'Peter', Christopher Mowod as 'Reg', Claire DeJean as 'Diana', and Emilie Kouatchou as 'Holly' in the First National Tour of Stereophonic. Photo: Julieta Cervantes.
Director Daniel Aukin does an excellent job of pulling us directly into the turmoil. Mic channels open and close. Characters yell so loudly that those behind the mixing desk flinch. Long, uncomfortable silences stretch into the audience, making us squirm in voyeuristic embarrassment. We almost want to retreat from the discomfort until flashes of creative revelation snap us back to attention. Captivated by Diana’s voice, even as it cracks under Peter’s cruelty, the band plays on, and they really do play.
It takes more than three hours for this play to find its way through a yearlong recording process. At times, it feels like watching divorced parents argue over what’s best for their album-child. One might wonder whether we’d be as transfixed if this weren’t a mirrored tale of such a famous band and beloved record. At best, Stereophonic is a sharply told myth about suffering in the pursuit of art. At worst, it’s a portrait of a group of drug-addled egos tearing one another apart, albeit in fantastic costumes by Enver Chakartash. Either way, watching Stereophonic is a compulsive itch that demands to be scratched.
“Stereophonic” runs through November 23 at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco. For tickets, visit the Curran’s website.
