Photos provided by Julieta Cervantes

The most Tony Award-nominated play in history thus far is the drama “Stereophonic,” which took home five of its 13 trophies to become the supreme victor at the 2024 ceremony, in turn, mounting considerable anticipation for its inaugural tour.

The wait is now over for Broadway In Chicago and the CIBC Theatre, where through Sunday, February 8, it will sound and look like 1976 again, a period when rock music was king, flowery fashions were in and a burgeoning band with a major record deal was in the midst of making a masterpiece.

Written by David Adjmi, directed by Daniel Aukin and featuring a soundtrack by Grammy Award-winner Will Butler, formerly of Arcade Fire, “Stereophonic” gives viewers an all access pass into a fictional, unnamed British-American act’s recording studio where they get an unvarnished view of the creative process, accompanied by mounting tensions centered around substance abuse, control issues, being away from family and overall dysfunction.

That type of friction is certainly nothing new to anyone who’s ever followed their favorite group and its particular personalities, but rarely has a production lifted the curtain on what it’s really like to witness the nitty-gritty details firsthand.

In the case of “Stereophonic,” it centers around a compact cast of premier players, including a married couple, bassist Reg (Christopher Mowod) and keyboardist/vocalist Holly (Emilie Kouatchou), longtime guitarist/vocalist partners Peter (Denver Milord) and Diana (Claire DeJean), plus drummer Simon (Cornelius McMoyler), who are working alongside sound engineers Grover (Jack Barrett) and Charlie (Steven Lee Johnson).

Despite standing pretty much in a class of its own, Cameron Crowe’s “Almost Famous” would probably be the closest comparison, although it also evokes the roller coaster of Fleetwood Mac during its remarkably intense yet fruitful “Rumours” sessions.

Even the male/female mix of members and their closely woven harmonies are aurally reminiscent of the latter, though trending tracks such as the punchy “Seven Roads,” “Masquerade,” “Bright” and “Drive” are quickly forging an identity of their own.

However, none of it is enough to justify a nearly three-hour runtime, which is heavily weighed down by tedious pauses occurring between the bulk of the dialogue and could practically be cut in half to still make the exact same point.

Nonetheless, those who have the patience to see “Stereophonic” finally come to fruition are bound to leave singing at least its sonic praises, while gaining a newfound respect for the efforts, instruments and attitudes behind the artistry.

“Stereophonic” continues at the CIBC Theatre through Sunday, February 8. For additional details, visit StereophonicPlay.com and BroadwayInChicago.com.

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