Stereophonic – Play with Music – Review – Paramount Theatre – Shows I've Seen

@showsiveseen @David Adjmi and @Willllll's "#Stereophonic" #play-with-music kicked off their national tour at Paramount #Theatre from Broadway Seattle and @Seattle Theatre Group. Great retro #70s aesthetic from David Zinn (Scenic) and @enverchakartash (Costumes). Beautiful voices/harmonies from @Em and @clairedejean. Closes 10/12/25. Review: showsiveseen.com/13832 Photos: Julieta Cervantes @Stereophonic: On Tour #1970s ♬ Masquerade – Original Cast of Stereophonic & Tom Pecinka & Will Brill & Juliana Canfield & Sarah Pidgeon & Chris Stack & Will Butler & Justin Craig

Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): David Adjmi and Will Butler’s Stereophonic play-with-music kicked off their national tour at Paramount Theatre from Broadway Seattle and Seattle Theatre Group. Great retro aesthetic from David Zinn (Scenic) and Enver Chakartash (Costumes). Beautiful voices/harmonies from Emilie Kouatchou and Claire DeJean. Closes 10/12/25.

Recommendation:
See it if you enjoy dialogue plays.

Was This the First Time I Attended a Production of this Show? Yes

Would I See It Again 3 Years from Now? Absolutely not

Mainstream Appeal: Low

If A Random Stranger Asked What Show They Should See This Weekend, Would I Mention This Production? Absolutely not

My Synopsis (No Spoilers): This play delves into the volatile dynamics of a successful 70s band confined within the walls of a recording studio. It’s a nightmare pressure cooker of clashing egos, creative tension, drugs, and messy affection. Love and hate often sound like the same note.

Synopsis from the Licensor or Theatre Company: The most Tony Award-winning Show of the year. The most Tony Award-nominated Play of all time. Stereophonic mines the agony and the ecstasy of creation as it zooms in on a music studio in 1976. Here, an up-and-coming rock band recording a new album finds itself suddenly on the cusp of superstardom. The ensuing pressures could spark their breakup — or their breakthrough. Written by David Adjmi, directed by Daniel Aukin, and featuring original music by Arcade Fire’s Will Butler, Stereophonic invites the audience to immerse themselves — with fly-on-the-wall intimacy — in the powder keg process of a band on the brink of blowing up.

Type: Play with Music

World Premiere: No

Several or Few Scenes: Several

Several or Few Settings/Locations: One – a recording studio

Static (Stationary) or Dynamic Set: Static

Prior Exposure/Knowledge Required: It’s best if you’re familiar with rock band references from the 1960s and 1970s.

Defined Plot/Storyline: No, it was mostly dialogue

Live Band/Orchestra: Yes, it was the cast

Union Actors: 7

Total Actors: 7

Perceived Pace of the Show: The pace of the show was glacial and left me feeling restless constantly thinking, “Please, let this be over.” Breaking it into four acts with a single intermission only made it feel longer, even though its runtime was typical for a major play. When Act Two began, I found myself wondering, “How much more of this can I endure?” By the time Act Four appeared, it was like spotting an oasis in a desert.

Was there an intermission? Yes

Length (Including Any Intermission): 2.75 hours

Other Rave(s)

Retro Aesthetic: David Zinn (Scenic Designer), Enver Chakartash (Costume Designer), Robert Pickens (Hair/Wig Designer), and Katie Gell (Hair/Wig Designer) perfectly and beautifully evoked the essence of the 1970s with the tousled long hair, tacky patterned button-down shirts, bohemian bell bottoms, sleazy leisure suits, and the era’s unmistakable wood-paneling.
Recording Room: Scenic Designer David Zinn made a smart choice by positioning the recording room a couple feet above the stage floor. Given the Paramount Theatre’s notoriously shallow floor slope and poorly staggered seating (which both make sightlines challenging for most audience members including myself), having half of the play’s action elevated significantly improved visibility.
Voices: Emilie Kouatchou and Claire DeJean featured exquisite voices and skillfull harmonies. I only wish the production allowed their talents to shine even more in a full-fledged musical rather than a play-with-music.

Rant(s)

Script: The script was frustratingly dull with a series of conversations that seemed to lead nowhere randomly discussing nothing of importance. The tension between the band members was palpable, but the reasons behind it were unclear, leaving the drama feeling shallow. Perhaps it was intentional to reflect the trivial, empty, self-absorbed concerns of the rich and famous. Even so, much of the performance had me wondering why we were expected to care.

As a BiPOC audience member, I also found it especially difficult to connect with the characters. Despite an African American performer in the cast, the roles were largely unrelatable, embodying the vapid, privileged white West Coast archetypes lampooned in MadTV’s “Pretty White Kids with Problems” and SNL’s “The Californians.” They floated through the narrative like shallow, pot-smoking hippies, obsessed with nothing of substance and randomly throwing tantrums. The result was a show where the characters’ lives felt superficial and ultimately unworthy of the audience’s investment.
Sound Balancing: When the band played and sang, the sound was ear-shattering. Perhaps it was intentional to evoke the energy of a live rock concert. But the effect was jarring, especially against dialogue filed by stilted silences. By comparison, the sound balance in the previous Broadway tour at the Paramount Theatre (Some Like It Hot) was muffled and overly soft. It seems the pendulum swings.
Transitions: The transitions between scenes were not well punctuated, making it difficult to discern when one ended and the next one began. This was exacerbated by the fact that the set remained unchanged throughout the show. When scenes flow so closely together, they demand the kind of seamless execution seen in productions like Operation Mincemeat.
Musical Titillation: Furthermore, there were numerous moments when the band would start playing for just a few seconds before the scene abruptly shifted. At other times, the performers acted like they were singing or playing their instruments, but they didn’t produce sound. It was the frustrating theatrical equivalent of titillating or “edging” the audience. When one character exclaimed, “I wanna play music!” my immediate thought was “Well, that makes the two of us. I wanna hear you play music.”

Other Musing(s) and Observation(s)

Emptiness: For a show centered on sound and music, surprisingly much of it unfolded in dialogue filled with silence with subdued lighting.
The Emperor is Naked: For a show that bills itself as “the most Tony-nominated play of all time” and “the most Tony-winning show of 2024,” I can’t help but wonder “is the emperor naked?” The audience seemed to agree. During the first act, one-by-one they relentlessly dropped like flies and headed to the doors. The frequent glow from the lobby as the exit doors swung open repeatedly was distracting. Additionally, I’ve never seen more people flee the building during intermission. The mass exodus even surpassed the walkouts from Girl from North County. Consequently, the second act unfolded before a sea of empty seats. Sadly, the person sitting in front of me obstructing my view stayed.

Theatre Company: National Tour from Broadway Across America and Seattle Theatre Group

Venue: Paramount Theatre

Venue Physical Address: 911 Pine St, Seattle, WA 98101

Price Range: $50 – $150

Ticket Affordability Options: Seattle Theatre Group might partner with an organization you’re affiliated with for discount tickets. For example, I believe UW employees/students are still eligible for an organization discount.

Dates: October 7 to 12, 2025

Seating: Assigned Seating

Parking: Paid street parking and paid garage parking. The best parking garage is under the convention center w/ the entrance on Pike around the Pike and Terry intersection. Last I checked, this is one of the cheapest, least busy, and closest garages. Alternatively, you can probably find street parking as you move closer to the West Precinct (810 Virginia St, Seattle, WA 98101). Do NOT park where the Paramount subscribers park. Last I checked, they usually park in the garage attached to the former Cheesecake Factory. It’ll take you at least 30 minutes to exit that garage after the show.

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Pictures: See production pictures below by Julieta Cervantes.

Cast and Production Team: See after pictures below.