Stereophonic’s needle skips on the touring record

Set in a recording studio in 1976, Stereophonic is a drama split into four acts, which unfold over two years, with one intermission, in an almost three-hour excursion at the CIBC Theatre.

“The most Tony Award-nominated play of all time” has possibly lost its way on the road to Chicago during the United States tour after Broadway and the West End Theatre. The excessive running time has been edited down from the original run, but may still feel long due to the drawn-out pauses and aggravating script delivery from the cast. The author David Adjm referred to the touring version as “The Radio Edit” in the playbill and while it is shorter, it could still use some more shaving.

The lights are turned down as a crew enters a recording studio in Sausalito, California and viewers will notice a slow start from the jump. An unnamed band is revealed with members from both sides of the pond and the characters' last names are unknown to remain vague.

Spectators can make their own comparisons to real-life misbehaving rockers and the playwright has pulled from several sources.

Bean bags and '70s decor are strategically placed to add to the optics on an impressively large set looking into the glass recording booth.

The scenery is stagnant with no movement and could have been flipped around for the second act to display a new perspective, but the creators chose not to go outside the box with the concept. Instead, they have created a claustrophobic atmosphere built around people who hate their individual jobs and make others around them suffer. Combining this obstacle with love interests and several strong personalities becomes a recipe for disaster with no real payoff. The arc of the show does heat up eventually, but not to the proper temperature to make it worthwhile.

Claire DeJean plays Diana, a conflicted lead singer who is in love with a narcissist guitarist named Peter, portrayed by Denver Milord. She eventually begins recording the song, “Bright,” and the soaring moment needed to engage strangely doesn't happen. In the second part, after the intermission, titled Act III, Diane sings “East of Eden” with a sustained note meant to impress, but it also falls flat, along with the fake distress.

Emilie Kouatchou fares better as Holly, but later in the show, the actress doesn't display enough peaks and valleys necessary for the back-and-forth banter concerning classic films to stimulate interest.

Jack Barrett, as mix master Grover, is the moral compass in the room as an engineer on the boards and one of the few likable fellows in the bunch. His assessment of these sessions as “a nightmare” sums it up well as a hot take.

There is not much humor to be found in the dialogue and when the jokes come, it's at a glacial pace. Stereophonic needs more stimulants than marijuana to spark things up, although both are presented for laughs.

To call Stereophonic a musical is a stretch because many of the tunes are not complete when performed for the public in this imaginary studio. Don't confuse Stereophonic with the Welsh band Stereophonics, as Stereophonic refers to sound formed from multidirectional audio, often shortened to “stereo.”

Arcade Fire's Will Butler contributions could be an attraction to some music fans, but since the renditions of his songs drone on while being rehearsed as jam sessions, there's no reason for repeat listenings after hearing them as a soundtrack.

It's all practice mode over and over again, with multiple takes, including tuning instruments. If someone finds it entertaining to watch the antics of a control freak berating and abusing a skilled drummer in front of others, then this is the fly on the wall show for them.

Is it a statement about the mundane machinations of developing a record or how fame is not what it's cracked up to be? The results are a maddening lesson in patience where ticket holders should be paid for feedback to watch these characters work, not the other way around.

It's not even close as an original concept, although Stereophonic could possibly spin better as a feature film with a strong edit. As a television series, Daisy Jones & the Six already explored Fleetwood Mac territory with far better original music and documentaries have been covering this topic for years.

The hyper-realistic approach never reaches an entertainment level for theater goers and multiple viewings could prove to be a torturous task indeed. Stereophonic skipped a beat with its timing and spectators are dragged along for a painful slog of a story on vinyl that belongs in the bargain bin.

Tickets for Stereophonic can be found at broadwayinchicago.com now until February 8.