Monday, April 22, 2024
How ‘Stereophonic’ Made Musicians Out of Actors
The New York Times: About a week into rehearsals for the Off Broadway premiere of David Adjmi’s latest play, “Stereophonic,” Will Butler sent an email to the cast. Butler, a former member of Arcade Fire, had a new band, Will Butler + Sister Squares, and a new self-titled album. A club in Brooklyn would soon host the record release party. Butler, the composer of “Stereophonic,” had a proposition: The actors should open for him.
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This article makes me interested in how they cast the 2007 revival of Company by Stephen Sondheim. In this revival version, the actors were playing instruments on stage, and actively being used as part of the orchestral mix. It really brought an air to the performance that I don't think would've been that raw. Their instruments were even dramaturgically justified by their characters motivations. I think they might have looked for musicians who can also act and sing, instead of looking for actors who could learn. They seem to be incredibly proficient in their instruments in that version. I really like it whenever music can be shown on stage, like having the orchestra incorporated into the set, such as having all the background characters play instruments like in Jesus Christ Superstar. I think that incorporating musicians into shows also brings a distinct rhythm to the performances that you wouldn't have gotten otherwise.
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