Full spectrum of 1970s music and drama in 'Stereophonic' on Playhouse Square

Cleveland may be the heart of rock 'n' roll, but for open-heart rock 'n' roll surgery, look no farther than Cleveland's Playhouse Square this month with the highly accoladed Broadway sensation, "Stereophonic." As David Adjmi's ultra-realistic play opens, more than a few audience members no doubt will be flipping through their programs to see exactly what famous 1970s band is being depicted with such verisimilitude as they watch the highly skilled and highly triggered musicians and singers persevere through the grueling months-long process of matching their followup to their debut album. The most common answer would likely be Fleetwood Mac, complete with the singing/acting sensation Claire DeJean as someone who very well might be the band's "Stevie Nicks." But no, this about an alternate-universe '70s rock sensation, complete with its own assemblage of bravura solo spots, not to mention romantic blowups, interpersonal toxicity, jealousies, manipulations and ultimate comradery as the ominous signs of superstardom breaking in the horizon. Likewise, the songs these band members hone, reharmonize, re-rift and re-balance in the ultra-realistic sound studio in Sausalito, California (and an upgraded studio later Los Angeles) seem too authentic and too good to be '70s indie-rock pastiches. But they are indeed original songs by Grammy-winning Will Butler (formerly of Arcade Fire), reflecting a precise spectrum between British and American sounds of the day. With a stellar cast of singing actors and acting singers -- Jack Barrett, Steven Lee Johnson, Emilie Kouatchou, Cornelius McMoyler, Denver Milord and Cristopher Mowod, in addition to afore-mentioned DeJean -- the play beckons the audience members to become the proverbial fly on the wall as they behold the ups and downs of the artistic and emotional process. It could easily lapse into a tedious soap opera, but the touring cast, assiduously honed by director Daniel Aukin, achieve an incisive grasp of their characters and navigate multiple psychological dimensions in the drugged-out world of 1970s California. With a hyper-realistic set by David Zinn and costumes by Enver Chakartash, which evoke the' 70s without smacking of nostalgia, the intimate world of the recording studio magically resonates in the potentially cavernous Connor Palace. Classic rock is still beatin' in Cleveland. Contact Howard Gollop at howieeg@gmail.com.