Tag: reviews-2025

There’s an adage that goes something like: Sausage is tasty, but you don’t want to see how it is made. If there is a short summary of “Stereophonic“, which we saw last night at the Hollywood Pantages as part of the Broadway in Hollywood season, that would be it.

Going into this show, I didn’t know what to expect. Coming into the 2024 Tony awards, it had loads of buzz. Loads of Tony nominations. According to Wikipedia: “13 overall nominations at the 77^th Tony Awards, breaking the record previously held by the Jeremy O. Harris play Slave Play (2020) to receive the most nominations for a play in the history of the ceremony; The play proceeded to win five awards: Best Play (which it also won at the Drama Desk Award, the Drama League Award, the Outer Critics Circle Award, and the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award), Best Direction of a Play, Best Featured Actor in a Play (for Will Brill; Eli Gelb and Tom Pecinka also received nominations for the award), Best Scenic Design of a Play and Best Sound Design of a Play. Juliana Canfield and Sarah Pidgeon both received nominations for Best Featured Actress in a Play.”

The Broadway production received excellent reviews. I had gotten the album and was underwhelmed, but then again: This was a play with music, not a musical. So based on the Tony awards, and the performance at the Tony Awards, I was looking forward to the show. But then I started reading the comments when Broadway in Hollywood was posting about the show on Facebook. Comments like:

“Most nominated play in theater? Then theater is dead. Our entire group left at intermission tonight.”.

“I saw some comments before we saw it on Tuesday that the Pantages is too big for this particular show. And after leaving at Intermission (which we’ve NEVER done before), I’d have to agree. 1/4 of the stage was cut off for us and the play was incredibly slow.”

“Was really looking forward to this production. I’ve had season tickets for years here, and have been going to theater my entire life. I have NEVER walked out of a production before. We left at intermission.”

The pre-show buzz was so bad that Broadway in Hollywood felt the need to manage expectations, sending out an email that said to expect “cinematic, almost documentary-style pacing” and “Stereophonic paces in real time with conversations that overlap, spark, and erupt”, noting “Trust the silence. Sometimes the quietest moments are the loudest.”

But, then again, I also saw comments praising the show. So I really didn’t know what to expect going in. Would this be a disaster on the level of “Girl From the North Country”? Would this be spectacular, on the level of “To Kill A Mockingbird” (the last non-musical to play the Pantages)? I just didn’t know. All I really knew is that this was a play based on the making of a record album, supposedly based on Fleetwood Mac and the creation of the 1977 album “Rumours”, and that the Broadway running time of 3 hours, 10 minutes had been cut to 2 hours, 50 minutes.

So, here are my thoughts:

First, I think this was very much a case of a good show in the wrong theatre, with the wrong audience. The Broadway in Hollywood audience has been trained on musicals, with the best reception for spectacular, uplifting musicals. This was a dark (in theme) downer of a show. It wasn’t musical. It had slow pacing, with a documentary style, meaning the story wasn’t spoon fed to the audience. It had a single set that was boxed-in on the stage, meaning that much was lost in the cavern that is the Pantages. In short: This wasn’t playing to an audience that was receptive to the story, and the theatre was so big it swallowed the performances. These were two fatal flaws that doomed the reception of the show for much of the Pantages audience. “Stereophonic” would have been received much better on the Ahmanson stage; it might even have been acclaimed had it be done in one of Los Angeles’ mid-size prestige houses such as the Pasadena Playhouse or the Geffen.

Second, reviews were right in that it was a bit slow in its pacing. Taking a show on tour allows the production team a chance to review and improve the production for its eventual long life. A prime example of this is “The Addams Family”. That show had book and pacing problems on Broadway. It was revisited for the tour, and the result was a production that is now extremely popular and is being done everywhere. The production team of “Stereophonic” wisely cut out 30 minutes in preparing the tour version, as noted in the program. I think they could have tightened the production just a bit more.

Thirdly, this was not a production for everyone. There was strong language, there was reference to sex and drugs and rock and roll. There were fights. There was overtalking. There was silence. This wasn’t a feel-good show. The characters ended the show in a different place than where they started, but it was arguably a much worse place in terms of relationships and the band’s future. Those looking for a light musical would be disappointed. Those looking for a traditional play with a traditional structure and storytelling would be disappointed. This was a play for a more sophisticated audience who were willing to tough it out for a good conclusion.

That said: This wasn’t a “I Caligula: An Insanity Musical” level train-wreck. It wasn’t a “Girl from the North Country” level disaster. It was even better than mediocre. I was interested in the characters, and what happened to them. The story was interesting, and the behind-the-scenes of the making of an album was interesting. It clearly is a pressure cooker, and a good environment for story telling. It could have used a bit more dramatization to clarify the story and heighten interest. It probably had more relevance for those familiar with Fleetwood Mac and the “Rumours” album (I think I might have one Fleetwood Mac album in my library — it is a group I never knowingly listened to).

If I had to rate it, it was on the level of “OK” to “good”. I enjoyed the story, but I don’t really have a desire to see it again. But this clearly is a play not for everyone. I did like the Four Rules for Engineers stated early on in the show: 1. Show up. 2. Pay Attention. 3. Tell the truth. 4. Deal with the consequences

The performances were strong. I particularly liked Jack Barrett’s Grover, Claire Dejean’s Diana, and Denver Milord’s Peter.

“Stereophonic” continues at the Hollywood Pantages until January 2, 2026. You can get tickets through the Pantages website. Be forewarned that this isn’t a show for everyone: There were a number of people that left before and during intermission.

Other December Live Performances

You may have noticed a dearth of reviews during December. Part of that was due to the Annual Computer Security Applications Conference, which was in Waikiki the week of December 8, and prevented us from seeing shows the first and second weekends of December. However, while at the Conference, we did see the Pa’ina Waikiki Luau at Waikiki Beach Marriott. We actually coordinated the attendance of a group of 245 conference attendees at the luau. The luau itself was spectacular, with hulu, island stories, fire dancing, and all other sorts of traditional dances. Of course, the best was when we quietly engineered for our conference chair to join the dancing on stage. I have heard there are videos of this, but I don’t have the links.

After we returned, we saw two live concert performances. I normally don’t review concert performances, but I’m listing them for completeness:

• Ben Platt: Live at the Ahmanson. I went in expecting this to be mostly Broadway music. Instead, it drew heavily from Ben’s solo albums and songwriting. It was an enjoyable show, and those more familiar with Ben’s music were really rocking out to it.
• Nochebuena: A Christmas Spectacular at the Soraya. This production featured Ballet Folklórico de Los Ángeles, Mariachi Pueblo Viejo from Tucson, and had as a special guest Ximena Sariñana. I didn’t understand much of the words, but the dance was spectacular.

Lastly, the Christmas period concluded as halachicly required, with two movies: “Wicked: For Good” and “Song Sung Blue”. Both were excellent.

Credits

Stereophonic. Written by David Adjmi. Original songs by Will Butler. Directed by Daniel Aukin.

Cast: Jack Barrett Grover; Claire Dejean Diana; Steven Lee Johnson Charlie; Emilie Kouatchou Holly; Cornelius McMoyler Simon; Denver Milord Peter; Christopher Mowod Reg. Understudies: Jake Regensburg u/s Grover, u/s Reg; Quinn Allyn Martin u/s Diana; Andrew Gombas u/s Charlie, u/s Peter; Lauren Wilmore u/s Holly; Eli Bridges u/s Simon.

Production and Creative: David Adjmi Playwright; Will Butler Original Songs and Orchestrations; Daniel Aukin Director; David Zinn Scenic Design; Enver Chakartash Costume Design; Jiyoun Chang Lighting Design; Ryan Rumery Sound Design; Robert Pickens & Katie Gell Hair and Makeup Design; Justin Craig Music Director and Orchestrations; Alldaffer & Donadio Casting Casting; Gigi Buffington Vocal, Text, and Dialect Coach; Dylan Glen General Manager; Brian Decaluwe Company Manager; Geoff Maus Production Stage Manager; Holly Adam Stage Manager; Work Light Productions Production Management; Bond Theatrical Tour Booking, Marketing & Publicity; Ray Wetmore & JR Goodman Production Props Supervisor; Ann James Intimacy Coordinator; Drew Leary Fight Director.

Favorite Minor Credit: Work Light Productions Tax Credit Consultant.

Administrivia

I am not a professional critic. I’m a cybersecurity professional, a roadgeek who does a highway site and a podcast about California Highways, and someone who loves live performance. I buy all my own tickets, unless explicitly noted otherwise. I do these writeups to share my thoughts on shows with my friends and the community. I encourage you to go to your local theatres and support them (ideally, by purchasing full price tickets, if you can afford to do so). We currently subscribe or have memberships at: Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre; Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages Theatre; Pasadena Playhouse; The Soraya, Chromolume Theatre ^NEW, and 5-Star Theatricals. We just added Chromolume Theatre as our intimate theatre subscription — we subscribed there pre-pandemic when they were at their West Adams location, but they died back in 2018. They started back up last year (but we had seen all their shows); this year, their season is particularly interesting: The Color Purple, If/Then, Elegies (during Hollywood Fringe), and Roadshow (nee Bounce) [by Steven Sondheim]. Mind you, these are all in the intimate theatre setting, and this will be the first time Roadshow has been done in Los Angeles, to my knowledge. Information on purchasing their 2026 season is here. Our previous intimate theatre, Actors Co-Op, seems to be on hiatus.

I used to do more detailed writeups; here’s my current approach.

Upcoming ♦ Theatre / ♣ Music / ◊ Other Live Performance – Next 90ish Days (⊕ indicates ticketing is pending).

• January: ♣ New Beginnings: A Chromolume Cabaret! at Chromolume; ♦ The Notebook at BIH/Pantages; ♦ All the Devils Are Here at The Broad; ♦ Jewish for Dinner at the Santa Monica Playhouse; ♣ Tom Chapin @ McCabes.
• February: ♦ Applause at MTG; ♦ Amadeus at Pasadena Playhouse; ♣ Anat Cohen at the Soraya; ♣ Preservation Hall Jazz Band at The Soraya.
• March: ✡ MoTAS Brotherhood Seder at Temple Beth Hillel; ♦ The Color Purple at Chromolume; ✡ MRJ Man of the Year Dinner at TBD; ♦ The Play That Goes Wrong at 5-Star Theatricals;  ♦ Here Lies Love at CTG/Mark Taper; ✡ MoTAS Poker Tournament; Spamlot at BIH/Pantages.
• April: ♦ Kim’s Convenience Store at CTG/Ahmanson; ♦ Ride the Cyclone at The Main; ♣ Jeremy Jordan at The Soraya; 🧬 California Science and Engineering Fair at CLU; ♦ Flower Drum Song at East/West Players

In these troubled times, what we need if something that reminds us to keep fighting for our goals, to keep fighting even when faced with an administration that wants to jail us and do unspeakable things to us just for exercising our constitutional right to protest. If we keep ourselves focused on that singular goal and if we protest not just with words but with actions that cannot be ignored, we will eventually win. Luckily for those of us in Southern California, such a reminder is currently at the Pantages Theatre under the “Broadway in Hollywood” banner: Suffs, with music, lyrics, and books by Shania Taub.

If you haven’t figured it out by now, we saw Suffs last night at the Pantages, and enjoyed it quite a bit.

Suffs tells the story of the fight to pass the 19^th Amendment, which is what gave women the right to vote. If it sounds like a dry subject, well so was the life of Alexander Hamilton. You saw what happened with that story. Suffs really doesn’t cover the entire 65+ years of the Suffragist movement, however; instead, it focuses pretty much on the last decade or so: from the start of the Wilson administration through the passage of the amendment, including a bit of a postscript regarding the modern day.  The ultimate point of the show seems to be the message that polite behind-the-scenes work is important, but insufficient to bring about change. Action is required: peaceful protest, strong messaging to the people, and getting those impacted out on the streets to effect change. Although this show premiered during the Biden administration, this message is especially important during the Trump administration. We’ve all seen the impact of the 50501 movement, the “No Kings” marches, and the emphasis on the release of the Epstein Files on this administration. We can learn from history; and that learning seems to be part of this show.

It should be no surprise that Hilary Clinton was part of the producing team of the Broadway production; alas, she doesn’t appear to be listed as part of the producing team for the National Tour.

Suffs focuses on quite a few real historical characters, most notably Alice Paul, and her cohorts from what became the National Woman’s Party: Ruza Wenclawska, Lucy Burns, Doris Stevens,  and Inez Milholland. It also focuses on the clash between Paul’s strategy and the strategy of the NWP when contrasted to the more sedate National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA), led by Carrie Chapman Catt and Molly Hay. It also intertwines the story of some Black Suffragists, Ida B. Wells, Mary Church Terrell, and Phyllis Terrell. As you can tell by the links, these were all real people, as were (of course) Woodrow Wilson, his chief of staff Dudley Malone, and backers such as Alva Belmont. As with that other historical musical, Hamilton, the book gets the story mostly right, although it does play with the timeline a little for narrative purposes.

As a man who was unfamiliar with the story of women getting the right to vote, I found this music inspiring (and I loved much of the music). I saw numerous parallels between the story of this fight, and the fights we are seeing today with the Trump administration. The story relates to the continuing right for gay and Trans rights, and (alas) for the continuing fight for women’s right. The musical rightly points out that the protagonist of the musical, Alice Paul, was one of the authors of the Equal Rights Amendment, which didn’t get submitted to the states until the Nixon Administration, and which still hasn’t quite passed to this day (some say it is past its ratification deadline, and some states want to retract their ratification). In fact, it was just this week that Michelle Obama said that the country isn’t ready for a woman president. The battle for the equality of women is far from over, and the battle to convince many of my sex that men aren’t the sole ones that posses the right and ability to lead continues. The patriarchal notions of male leadership rights, both in politics and at home, still haven’t gone away (and this country is far worse for it, for it gave us Donald Trump in 2016 over Hilary Clinton, and Donald Trump in 2024 over Kamala Harris)

But I’m a man, and my opinion of this show shouldn’t be the only thing that matters. So I asked my wife — a person who personifies one of the best songs in the show, a “Great American Bitch”, in the best sense of the phrase. Her attitude is that we need another mob like the one shown in the show to descend on all the men in politics who don’t understand women and reproduction to fight for women to have the control over their own bodies and their reproductive rights. She loved the show and found it empowering.

There were points in the show that drew echoes of Hamilton, particularly the song “Finish the Fight”, and the various battle songs. The show, unlike Hamilton, also passes the high school test: this show could easily be staged in high schools (unlike the full version of Hamilton). I predict, once the rights are released, that it will be a popular high school production because of its combination of history education and music. Alas, two things may hold it back: First, words like “bitch”. Second, the men that don’t want their womenfolk to be reminded of their political power.

The performances were extremely strong and strident. We moved back from row Q to row Y this season, and perhaps we hit the sweet-spot for sound in the theatre (or the sound engineer for this show was particularly good). Spectacularly impressive performances were the norm. Most notable was Maya Keheler as Alice Paul, Livvy Marcus as Doris Stevens, Joyce Meimei Zheng as Ruza Wenclawska, Monica Tulia Ramirez as Inez Milholland, and Danyel Fulton as Ida B. Wells. I’ll note that all roles in this cast were played by women (perhaps this would limit the high school producibility, but perhaps not).

The music is strong and entertaining, although it does suffer from the problem that the best songs are concentrated in the first act. That, perhaps, is unavoidable given the story. It also made me think of The Rothschilds when Inez Milholland reappeared as  ghost in the second act. Just as with Meyer Rothschild in The Rothschilds, the performer was such a powerhouse they had to reappear, even though they died in the first act. Book and liberetto authors, however, will find a way.

This is a show that all should see, and may be one of the best shows in this season of Broadway in Hollywood. It continues at the Pantages through December 7. For more details and tickets, visit the show page at Broadway in Hollywood. Go see this one. It will more than make up for the sobfest I expect The Notebook to be.

P.S.: This is BC/EFA Red Bucket Month, so I wasn’t surprised at the Red Bucket announcement. It’s a great organization, so we did our usual donation. They took cash, and had a QR code that really didn’t work. I hate QR codes for donation: this took you to a form that ostensibly took GPay (it didn’t), when I tried to switch to Paypal it started the process over, and when Paypal asked for an authorization code, it started over again. We finally got it to work with a tap machine. I appreciate the effort (and will try to go through it for BCEFA), but QR codes are never the answer when people have to enter name, address, phone, and credit card information by hand while in a theatre trying to exit.  In any case, you should make a donation too. You can do so by following this link (which is where the QR code sent you) to give credit to the Suffs Tour.

Credits

Suffs. Book, music, and lyrics by Shaina Taub. Directed by Leigh Silverman. Choreography by Mayte Natalio.

Cast [underscores indicate “at our performance”; strikeouts indicate “not at our performance”; ↑ indicates “swung up”]: Jenny Ashman President Woodrow Wilson; Anna Bakun Ensemble / Speaker of the House; Tami Dahbura Mollie Hay; Danyel Fulton Ida B. Wells; Marya Grandy Carrie Chapman Catt; Marissa Hecker Ensemble / Dr. White / Mailman; Kaitlyn Jackson Ensemble / Mrs. Herndon (Nov 18-23); Trisha Jeffrey Mary Church Terrell; Maya Keleher Alice Paul; Livvy Marcus Doris Stevens; Victoria Pekel Phyllis Terrell / Robin; Brandi Porter Dudley Malone; Monica Tulia Ramirez Inez Milholland; Jenna Lea Rosen Aquila Sol Ensemble / Major Sylvester / Senator Burn; Gretchen Shope Ensemble / Mrs. Herndon (Nov 25 – Dec 7); Laura Stracko Alva Belmont / Phoebe Burn; Gwynne Wood Lucy Burns; Joyce Meimei Zheng Ruza Wenclawska. Principle Covers: Abigail Aziz, Ariana Burks. Swings: Annalese Fusaro, Amanda K. Lopez, Merrill Peiffer, ↑ Aquila Sol.

Music Department (♯ indicates local):  Andrea Grody Music Supervisor, Co-Vocal & Incidental Arrangements; Michael Starobin Orchestrations; Dani Lee Hutch Music Director, Conductor, Keyboard 1; Kerianne Brennan Assoc. Conductor, Keyboard 2; Edward Hamilton Acoustic & Electric Bass; Daniel Santiago Drums; ♯ Jen Choi Fischer Violin; ♯ Ira Glansbeek Cello; ♯ Jeff Driskill Reed 1 (Flute / Piccolo / Clarinet / Bass Clarinet / Soprano Sax / Bari Sax); ♯ Sean Franz Reed 2 (Flute / Clarinet / Alto Sax); ♯ Aaron Smith and Barbara Laronga Trumpet / Flugelhorn; ♯ Amy Bowers Trombone / Euphonium; ♯ Michael Abraham Guitar (Acoustic / Electric / Banjo / Mandolin); ♯ Brad Gardner Keyboard Sub; ♯ Eric Heinly Orchestra Contractor; Kristy Norter and Julie Ferrara Music Coordinator; Randy Cohen and Sam Starobin, Randy Cohen Keyboards LLC Electronic Music Design; Drew Nichols, Tim Crook, and Nick Schenkel Assoc. Electronic Music Design; Emily Grishman Music Copying; Adriana Grace, Timothy Hanson, and Alden Terry Music Preparation.

Production and Creative: Shaina Taub Book, Music, & Lyrics; Leigh Silverman Director; Mayte Natalio Choreographer; Riccardo Hernández Broadway Scenic Designer; Christine Peters Tour Scenic Designer; Paul Tazewell Costume Designer; Lap Chi Chu Lighting Designer; Jason Crystal Sound Design; Charles G. LaPointe Hair and Wig Design; Joe Dulude II Makeup Design; Lori Elizabeth Parquet Assoc Director; Hawley Gould Assoc. Choreographer; Amanda K. Lopez Dance Captain; Stacy N. Taylor Production Stage Manager; Maya Bhatnagar Stage Manager; Megan Ciszek Asst Stage Manager; The Telsey Office Casting; Hudson Theatrical Associates Production Management; Brand-Nexus Marketing Supervisor; Allied Touring Tour Marketing and Press; Think Tank Social Media; The Booking Group Tour Booking Agency; 101 Productions Ltd General Manager.

Favorite Minor Credit: Bad Monkey Props Horse Body and Mechanics.

Administrivia

I am not a professional critic. I’m a cybersecurity professional, a roadgeek who does a highway site and a podcast about California Highways, and someone who loves live performance. I buy all my own tickets, unless explicitly noted otherwise. I do these writeups to share my thoughts on shows with my friends and the community. I encourage you to go to your local theatres and support them (ideally, by purchasing full price tickets, if you can afford to do so). We currently subscribe or have memberships at: Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre; Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages Theatre; Pasadena Playhouse; The Soraya, and 5-Star Theatricals. We’re looking for the right intimate theatre to subscribe at — it hasn’t been the same since Rep East died (it’s now The Main, and although it does a lot of theatre, it doesn’t have seasons or a resident company), and post-COVID, most 99-seaters aren’t back to doing seasons (or seasons we like). I used to do more detailed writeups; here’s my current approach.

Upcoming ♦ Theatre / ♣ Music / ◊ Other Live Performance – Next 90ish Days (⊕ indicates ticketing is pending).

• December: ◊ ACSAC Conference; ♣ Ben Platt: Live at the Ahmanson at CTG/Ahmanson; ♣ Nochebuena: A Christmas Spectacular at The Soraya; ♦ Stereophonic at BIH/Pantages;
• January: ♦ The Notebook at BIH/Pantages; ♦ All the Devils Are Here at The Broad; ♣ Tom Chapin @ McCabes.
• February: ♦ Applause at MTG; ♦ Amadeus at Pasadena Playhouse; ♣ Anat Cohen at the Soraya; ♣ Preservation Hall Jazz Band at The Soraya.
• March: The Play That Goes Wrong at 5-Star Theatricals; Here Lies Love at CTG/Mark Taper; MoTAS Poker Tournament; Spamlot at BIH/Pantages.