THEATRE REVIEW: "Stereophonic" at the John Golden Theatre (New York, NY)

   




     On the afternoon of December 4th, 2024, I saw a performance of the David Adjmi play "Stereophonic" at the John Golden Theatre in New York City.  The play featured original songs by Will Butler and was directed by Daniel Aukin.  The production featured scenic design by David Zinn.  Other productions I saw that featured scenic design by David Zinn include "Kimberly Akimbo" (Broadway), "Fun Home" (National Tour), "The SpongeBob Musical" (World Premiere), and "The Notebook" (Broadway).  The scenery of these five shows were all very unique, and individualized to the stories being told on stage.



Me in front of the John Golden Theatre marquee, prior to seeing "Stereophonic."



     "Stereophonic" had its World Premiere Engagement at Playwrights Horizons (also in New York City).  After beginning previews on October 6th, 2023, the World Premiere Engagement officially opened on October 29th and ran thru December 17th of that year.  It transfered to Broadway in 2024, where it began previews at the John Golden Theatre on April 2nd, officially opened April 19th, and is set to close January 12th, 2025.  Also, I saw the entire show with no inkling that there were any parallels between the characters on stage and the band members of Fleetwood Mac.  Then again, my real focus was on making it through this 3 hour and 15 minute play (intermission included, I daresay).  No problem there, for the most part.  This was an enjoyable play (and I was especially grateful for this theatre outing, for it was an early Christmas present from my parents).





       


       At the performance of "Stereophonic" that I saw, the cast included Benjamin Anthony Anderson (Peter), Will Brill (Reg), Andrew R. Butler (Charlie), Amy Forsyth (Diana), Eli Gelb (Grover), Rebecca Naomi Jones (Holly), and Chris Stack (Simon).  I say this in many of my blog posts, but the entire cast did a great job.  I was pretty sure they would.  Not just anyone can maintain a character's mannerisms and disposition through such a long play.  Yet, as far as I could tell, all of them did.  While I've never seen any of the cast members in live performances before, I recognized Rebecca Naomi Jones from the live recording of the musical "Passing Strange" (which was apparently directed for the live recording by Spike Lee).



POV Playbill Photo I took from my seat at the John Golden Theatre.  Wasn't my seat incredible?  I was just two rows from the stage!



     It excites me when a three-hour long play or musical comes along.  This is probably because the first Broadway-Caliber show I saw was "Les Misérables," back when it was nearly 3 1/2 hours long.  But that show was a saga.  It was an epic tale.  "Stereophonic" is not.  I suppose I am saying it didn't need to be so long.  But I'm glad it was.  Many parts of the show flew by.  There were just one or two slower scenes that dragged a bit.  Other than that, this is a show I highly recommend.







     "Stereophonic" is a highly recommended show in general.  It is also critically acclaimed and award-winning.  It won five Tony Awards in 2024, including Best Play.  Tony Awards also went to David Zinn for Best Scenic Design, Daniel Aukin for Best Direction, Ryan Rumery for Best Direction, and to Will Brill for Best Performance By An Actor In A Featured Role In A Play.  "Stereophonic" received at least seven additional Tony Award nominations.  After seeing the show myself, I'd say the cast and crew of "Stereophonic" earned every single nomination.



Marquee of the John Golden Theatre. 




     Lastly, I'm glad I finally got to see a show at the John Golden Theatre.  Completed in 1927 (originally called the Theatre Masque), the Golden Theatre seats 804 people.  The interior is gorgeous with a Spanish-influenced Mission Revival style.  It was designed by Herbert J. Krapp, and built as part of a three-theatre complex which included the Royale Theatre (now the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre) and the Majestic Theatre.  In 1937, John Golden became the theatre manager, and renamed the theatre after himself.  He was quite fond of Krapp's interior design of the theatre and would often exclaim, "This venue is full of Krapp."  OK, not really.








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