Stereophonic at the Duke of York Theatre, Review.
- Richard Brown
- Jun 15
- 5 min read
Updated: Jul 24
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
The Duke of York Theatre, London.
A three hour and fifteen minute epic that feels like twenty minutes, David Adjmi's book and powerful performances make this show one of the hottest tickets on London's West End.
Having completed its Broadway run with the title of “the most Tony Award-nominated play ever” and as the most Tony Award-winning show of 2024, this production has been highly anticipated as the show to see this season on London's West End. So much so, this reviewer flew from Ireland specifically to see it.
Set in 1976, during the making of their newest record, an up-and-coming rock band struggle to find their groove as drugs, alcohol and emotions dig away at their patience. In a recording studio with live mics, everything is heard. With an astounding running time of three hours and fifteen minutes, all elements of this production need to be working in cohesion to ensure the audience do not lose its focus. Thankfully, Stereophonic does just that.
What Makes Stereophonic So Special?
Making a three hour plus show interesting is a feat in itself, and is achieved with its performances, as well as it's production design.
David Adjmi's book is hilarious yet deep and incredibly clever, allowing us to be a fly on the wall of a studio about to implode. Quick reactions and conversational dialogue within the opening moments of the show around a broken coffee machine, with interludes of a sound check, grip the audience from the start. The juxtaposition of the scenes behind the sound proof walls and the recording studio hang out area, helps build these well formed characters through their dialogue, allowing an almost private and public interaction. The more dramatic moments hit you like a train, as they are well placed throughout the quick one liners.
This is all highly complimented by Daniel Aukin's direction, who shows why he won the Tony! Well paced and cleverly staged, he uses the material and builds upon it. The audience is constantly in the palm of his hand as he uses every inch of the spectacular stage design by David Zinn.
Although at first glance the set looks simple (as it does not change during the show), the attention to detail of raggedy rugs, bean bags and wood paneling gives the overall feeling of a smokey, rock star recording session. This is highly complimented by the stunning costume design created by London born Enver Chakartash. Each costume was meticulously detailed, from suede shoes to flared jeans. What was extremely impressive was how quickly the costumes changes occured throughout the show, and how Diana's and Holly's costumes transformed as their characters began to push the boundaries of their independence.
The production is rounded up with Jiyoun Chang's spectacular lighting design which uses practical lighting (lamps and ceiling lights) well to build the setting, but cleverly uses additional lighting to draw focus, especially within the recording booth. Ryan Rumery's sound design send vibrations through the Duke of York Theatre, allowing dialogue to be heard yet creating that rock atmosphere. The balance of music and dialogue was excellently mastered by the sound operators.
The Performances in Stereophonic
A great script can only do so much when it comes to buy in from an audience, and this cast delivers on all fronts. The ensemble are a tour de force, with no one outshining one another, each giving some of the best acting performances we have on the West End right now.
Zachary Hart produces a heartbreaking portrayal as the bass player, Reg, who is struggling to find balance from his life with his work. Jack Riddiford is excellent as the guitarist, Peter. He has the challenging role of being a likeable asshole, who's too focused on the band to see the destruction he is causing around him which he portrays very well.
Andrew R. Butler, Chris Stack, and Eli Gelb have all returned to the roles they have originated on Broadway. All three show clearly why they have been recast; Butler's hilarious command of the stage, saying very little, but exuding a lot when he does. He wins over the audience from his first scene.
Stack's powerful performance as a short fused yet caring drummer, Simon really added to this production. His click track sequence was hilarious, and quickly gave the audience a whiplash of emotions. He also had a great save with a microphone at our performance (brava!). Gelb, who packs a punch as the loveable sound engineer Grover, plays up a storm on stage. He displayed some beautiful development in his character and performance throughout the show, spending a majority of time onstage.
Nia Towle is incredible as Holly, playing an extremely layered performance. West End Debut performer Lucy Karczewski is sensational as Diana. Karczewski is one of those performers who you cannot keep your eyes off of. Each moment of Towle and Karczewski performances is a masterclass in acting and kept me on the edge of my seat. Their scene in Act IV was electrifying, I would love to watch their scene again! They also have wonderful vocals...
Oh did I not mention that Karczewski, Towle, Stack, Hart and Riddiford all play instruments and play together throughout the show? The extremely talented cast really do bring some rock and roll to their production, making this highly entertaining! Act II (right before intermission) ends with an epic performance, where the audience were rocking out with some involuntary head bobbing making us all want to return for Act III!
Is Stereophonic worth seeing?
Do I really have to answer this question? In my opinion, Stereophonics is one of the best shows on the West End right now. It's a spectacular, searing production, filled with incredible performances, creative production design and something that is currently missing on the West End right now.... AN EXCELLENT BOOK AND STORY, which is very rare at the moment! My hope is that this show extends so I can see it again when I return to London next year.
My final advice? Beg, Borrow or Steal a ticket for this show, you will not regret it!
How to buy tickets to Stereophonic?
Stereophonic runs until October 2025 at the Duke of York Theatre, London. Tickets can be purchased through their website here or additional ticketing sites (See My Article on this here!)
Location: The Duke of York Theatre, West End
Date of Review: 12th June 2025
Star Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Disclaimer: Hey There! I was invited to review this show as part of the Press Night on 12th of June. All views are my own and we're not influenced by the invite. Just a heads up, the link in this post is an affiliate link. If you decide to buy something through them, I'll earn a small commission but with no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support!
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