STEREOPHONIC Opening Night Critics’ Reviews- Page 6

[Zeppie2022]

Posted: 6/15/24 at 12:02am

"Just home from my fifth time seeing the show. If you were there tonight you got a TREAT - the cast was firing on all cylinders and gave the best performances I’ve ever seen them collectively give. It was amazing. "

Saw this show a few weeks ago and really liked it, posted my thoughts on the show in this thread. Glad the cast was on top of their game. As much as I liked this show, it IMO does not have wide appeal. I think you have to be like how I described myself in my post about the show. I was a complete "geek" in regards to the Beatle doc (Get Back) and loved the process of recording an album. Being a big Fleetwood Mac fan (especially Lindsey Buckingham), I enjoyed the obvious similarity to the Nicks-Buckingham relationship in this show. I hope it does well this Sunday and takes home a couple of awards.

[Zeppie2022]

Posted: 6/15/24 at 12:07am

Test

[chrishuyen]

Posted: 6/26/24 at 12:23am

The Freakonomics podcast did a two episode series featuring Stereophonic (the first one is more about the background of the play and the second is more about the economics). Interesting items of note: they mention they're going to have a London production as well as a first class national tour and "a lot of interest in the film" (though they don't mention what kind--the host Stephen Dubner brings up the film as if it's a done deal but based on the wording from producer John Johnson I'm not sure it's completely set yet). 

(Also I used to listen to Freakonomics a lot more but I had no clue Dubner was a Tony voter at some point)

https://freakonomics.com/podcast/how-to-make-the-coolest-show-on-broadway/

https://freakonomics.com/podcast/you-can-make-a-killing-but-not-a-living/

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 6/28/24 at 12:21am

The original Stereophonic cast has been in the show since the 1st preview at Playwrights Horizon. 

This evening, apparently, Tom Pecinka was out with a first understudy (Benjamin Anthony Anderson) on.

Anyone see it?  Another cast member is scheduled out later next week ... 

Updated On: 6/28/24 at 12:21 AM

[MezzA101]

Posted: 6/29/24 at 12:51pm

'Stereophonic' Tonys Winner Will Brill on Award Win & Learning Bass

https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/will-brill-stereophonic-tonys-speech-bass-1235720210/

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 7/5/24 at 9:07am

According to understudies.org, Will Brill will be out tonight, and Cornelius McMoyer will be making his debut as Reg.

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 7/5/24 at 9:24am

Looks like the cast is finally taking some well-earned time off. Tom Pecinka and Juliana Canfield have also had understudies on in the last week. Would love to see other actors’ interpretations.

[yyys]

Posted: 7/5/24 at 9:46am

I saw Juliana Canfield's understudy on 6/29 and sad to say that she was as unintelligible as Juliana.  Not sure why three of them had to be British.

[dwwst12]

Posted: 7/5/24 at 11:23am

yyys said: "I saw Juliana Canfield's understudy on 6/29 and sad to say that she was as unintelligible as Juliana. Not sure why three of them had to be British."

The short answer is that despite the playwright's denials, this is straight-up 100% inspired by Fleetwood Mac, period. And that needs to be the breakdown in the band. "Christine" has to have been an original British member along with "Mick" and "John."

And before everybody gets all mad at me, I'm not calling the show a rip-off or anything else. I saw it on Tuesday and really enjoyed it! Been listening to the cast album since.

[DramaTeach]

Posted: 7/5/24 at 11:32am

I won’t call it a rip-off either, but I cannot comprehend the praise and awards that have been thrown its way like it’s some sort of innovative, profound piece. It’s not. It’s been done before. In real life and on the screen. Good performances? Sure. Earth-shattering? No! I feel like in time, we’ll look back and realize how overhyped this was.

[dwwst12]

Posted: 7/5/24 at 11:40am

Yeah. I think it might depend on your level of knowledge about FM. I have read a couple of books on the band/making of Rumours. If you have that level of knowledge going in, then it is very possible to both enjoy it very much AND wonder if it was a little overhyped. That's sort of where I landed.

This hasn't been done on Broadway before, but has been done in other media. For instance, the book "Daisy Jones and the Six" (which I also very much enjoyed) was in large part this play in book form. Though they made the detail more different -- whereas I'm still wondering how the band has not sued here, lol.

[Falsettolands]

Posted: 7/5/24 at 11:45am

What Stereophonic has going for it that I will continue to reiterate in my circles, regardless of any sort of "overhype" is that it is completely and utterly accessible.

I will always champion a play that even the most casual theatregoers can enjoy. Nothing overtly political, satirical, or absurdly theatrical. Overhyped or not, I can confidently bring folks to this whereas with Lehman, Leopoldstadt, and Ferryman (hell, even Cursed Child) was asking a lot that I didn't feel a casual audience member would feel worth their time and money.

[dwwst12]

Posted: 7/5/24 at 11:51am

As a public service to those who are curious (I've seen posts about it on Reddit), I was going to list all the similarities to Fleetwood Mac. But honestly, it would be easier to list things that aren't the same!

Lindsey Buckingham's brother was even an Olympic swimmer! Which is a truly *insane* detail to include if you do not want to end up cutting a check to the Mac, lol.

[dwwst12]

Posted: 7/5/24 at 11:52am

Falsettolands said: "What Stereophonic has going for it that I will continue to reiterate in my circles, regardless of any sort of "overhype" is that it is completely and utterly accessible.

I will always champion a play that even the most casual theatregoers can enjoy. Nothing overtly political, satirical, or absurdly theatrical. Overhyped or not, I can confidently bring folks to this whereas withLehman, Leopoldstadt, and Ferryman (hell, even Cursed Child) was asking a lot that I didn't feel a casual audience memberwould feel worth their time and money."

Oh absolutely. I felt like I was in that studio, and I wanted to go back the next day to see what they were up to. That's a successful theatrical production.

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 12/31/99 at 7:00pm

TaffyDavenport said: "According to understudies.org, Will Brill will be out tonight, and Cornelius McMoyer will be making his debut as Reg."

FYI, understudies.org says that he'll be covering Will for both shows on Saturday, July 20, as well.

 

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 7/5/24 at 8:08pm

Posted above earlier this afternoon, and it looks like a glitch in the matrix sent the entire thread back to 12/31/99, which is why it's no longer listed on the first page. Hoping this post will zap it back where it belongs.

Edit: Success!

Updated On: 7/5/24 at 08:08 PM

[mshalo18]

Posted: 7/7/24 at 12:56pm

dwwst12 said: "As a public service to those who are curious (I've seen posts about it on Reddit), I was going to list all the similarities to Fleetwood Mac. But honestly, it would be easier to list things that aren't the same!

Lindsey Buckingham's brother was even an Olympic swimmer! Which is a truly *insane* detail to include if you do not want to end up cutting a check to the Mac, lol."

Even towards the end when they were discussing what to title their next album and Reg (I could be wrong) talked about a dream he had about a prehistoric animal on the album cover- and I immediately through “yes-Tusk”.- which was a double album (remember when they were trying to figure out what to cut and said Columbia didn’t want a double album?) 

[dwwst12]

Posted: 7/7/24 at 2:55pm

mshalo18 said:  Even towards the end when they were discussing what to title their next album and Reg (I could be wrong) talked about a dream he had about a prehistoric animal on the album cover- and I immediately through “yes-Tusk”.- which was a double album (remember when they were trying to figure out what to cut and said Columbia didn’t want a double album?)"

Right, I didn't put the dream part together, but I did notice the double-album reference.

Also towards the end when Peter was saying that Simon thought of himself as the "Daddy" of the band -- as in "Oh Daddy", which was written by Christine about Mick!

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 7/7/24 at 4:55pm

I finally got around to this last night, and I really hate to say this... but I absolutely abhorred this. I thought it was slow, tedious, and extremely repetitive. The characters felt ambiguous, very thinly drawn, and unrelatable. Maybe my expectations were too high, but I left absolutely baffled by the heaps of praise and awards this has received.

This clearly was not for me by a long shot, and I definitely realize that I am in the extreme vast minority with my opinion, but this was a really snoozer in my opinion.

[sppunk]

Posted: 8/5/24 at 2:00pm

Finally was able to be in town to catch this and I agree with the previous poster - this was an entertaining slog to me. It feels wayyyyyyy too long, like they could cut an hour out of this and it'd be much stronger. 

The cast is phenomenal but the material is just ... there. I felt no connection with the couples, Reg seemed like a hollow asshole, etc. Clearly I and my wife are in the minority, and am happy for its success, but I wouldn't' see this again I don't think.