Arcade Fire’s Will Butler and the West End cast of Stereophonic bring 1970s rock ‘n’ roll and a live recording studio to the London stage

Last night, WhatsOnStage took a trip to the 1970s… well, to the Duke of York’s Theatre actually, where the West End premiere of Stereophonic welcomed guests to its official opening. Stay tuned for our review this coming Monday!

Prior to the big night, we were invited on stage to capture a rendition of “Masquerade” and chat to playwright David Adjmi, musician Will Butler and the London cast – composed of Broadway originals Andrew R Butler (reprising his role as Charlie), Eli Gelb (Grover), and Chris Stack (Simon), alongside new additions Zachary Hart (Reg), Lucy Karczewski (Diana), Jack Riddiford (Peter) and Nia Towle (Holly) – to find out more about this much-anticipated and widely acclaimed West End transfer.

Check out our opening night video below:

Serving as understudies for the production are Sam Denia, Rima Georges, Lucy Gray and Steve Shirley.

Written by Adjmi and featuring original songs by Butler of Arcade Fire, Stereophonic is set in a music studio in California and follows a Fleetwood Mac-style rock band as they record their latest album, with romantic foibles and professional tensions leading the group to the brink of breaking up, right as they’re about to blow up.

Last year, the piece made history by becoming the most Tony-nominated play in Broadway history – earning 13 nods and going on to pick up five awards (including Best Play).

The creative team also includes David Zinn (scenic designer), Enver Chakartash (costume designer), Jiyoun Chang (lighting designer), Butler and Justin Craig (orchestrations), Ryan Rumery (sound designer), Justin Craig (music director) and Robert Pickens and Katie Gell (hair and wig design). UK Casting is by Julia Horan CDG with US Casting by Alaine Alldaffer, Lisa Donadio and Taylor Williams.

You can also listen to our special podcast episode with producer Sonia Friedman here:

Produced by Sonia Friedman Productions, Sue Wagner, John Johnson, Seaview, Linden Productions and Ashley Melone and Nick Mills, Stereophonic is currently playing at the Duke of York’s Theatre until 11 October 2025. Tickets are on sale below.