Tom Pecinka is a 2024 Tony Award nominee for his efficiency in “Stereophonic,” now enjoying in New York. by means of Related Press
Because the ruthlessly formidable Peter in Broadway’s “Stereophonic,” Tom Pecinka will get to are living out a Seventies rock superstar delusion — replete with the intercourse, medication and unfashionable model — onstage.
Despite the fact that the actor describes his Tony-nominated efficiency as a full-throttle, emotional purge, he’s thankful to go away that have at the back of after curtain name.
“There are issues I am getting to do as Peter that I don’t get to do in my lifestyles,” Pecinka, who’s making his Broadway debut, advised HuffPost. “Peter lets in himself to explode, and I’d be mendacity if I mentioned attending to scream at anyone wasn’t cathartic. However I love to stay him on the theater. I do a ritual each night time the place I take off the necklace I put on and say good-bye to him, as a result of he’s no longer essentially the most a laugh individual to are living with.”
Now enjoying at New York’s Golden Theatre, “Stereophonic” has been nominated for 13 Tony Awards — essentially the most ever for a Broadway play. On Tuesday, the display’s run was once prolonged via Jan. 5 after in the beginning being slated to near subsequent month.
Written by means of David Adjmi and directed by means of Daniel Aukin, the drama follows a Laurel Canyon-era rock band within the throes of recording an album. Peter is the band’s hot-headed guitarist and is fascinated by a tempestuous, on-and-off dating with singer-songwriter Diana (Sarah Pidgeon).
Tom Pecinka, Will Brill and Sarah Pidgeon in “Stereophonic.” Julieta Cervantes
Peter and Diana’s bandmates are 3 Brits: bassist Reg (Will Brill) and keyboardist Holly (Juliana Canfield), who’re a married couple, and drummer Simon (Chris Stack). They’re joined of their Sausalito, California, studio by means of a couple of hapless engineers, Grover (Eli Gelb) and Charlie (Andrew R. Butler).
The band’s recording periods are, in fact, a fiery conflict of egos. Over the route of 3 hours, the characters disclose their internal turmoil in between laying down tune, which contains appearing unique songs by means of musician Will Butler, previously of the band Arcade Hearth.
“Artists come to the display, and so they pass: ‘Oh, I do know the ache and the enjoyment of that procedure,’” Pecinka mentioned. “However any individual who’s performed a bunch venture in basic faculty the place they have been paired with anyone they hate, or possibly they needed to do the entire paintings as a result of no person else did … too can relate.”
Watch the video for “Masquerade” from Broadway’s “Stereophonic” solid recording underneath.
A lot of the excitement on “Stereophonic” has emphasised the fictitious band’s many parallels to Fleetwood Mac, whose masterpiece 1977 album “Rumours” was once recorded as individuals Christine McVie and John McVie have been on the point of divorce, whilst Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks had also known as it quits on their dating.
Pecinka spent months in guitar classes in preparation for his function, sending movies to the display’s inventive crew to stay them abreast of his weekly growth. Despite the fact that he seemed to Buckingham early on, his interpretation of Peter additionally winks at Mick Jagger, Robert Plant and James Taylor, amongst different ’70s tune icons.
“I by no means felt adore it was once the Fleetwood Mac tale, as a result of those characters are so fleshed out, they felt like their very own other folks,” he mentioned. Vocally, he added, “my touchstone was once Seventies Billy Joel, as a result of that was once the tune I grew up with from that duration. So it was once already kind of in me.”
A Wantagh, New York, local, Pecinka auditioned for “Stereophonic” in 2020, mere days sooner than COVID-19 shuttered theaters national. The play gained its premiere off-Broadway staging in fall of 2023, and the actor mentioned the risk to paintings with a modern author was once definitely worth the wait.
“Till then, my occupation had most commonly been Shakespeare and Chekhov and Ibsen — lifeless other folks,” he quipped.
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“I by no means felt adore it was once the Fleetwood Mac tale, as a result of those characters are so totally fleshed out, they felt like their very own other folks,” mentioned Pecinka (on left, with Pidgeon). Julieta Cervantes
Despite the fact that “Stereophonic” is billed as a “play with tune” reasonably than a musical, Pecinka and his solid buddies have been ready to report the display’s songs for posterity on a brand new solid album.
It’s an success the actor, who was once advised by means of casting brokers that his rock tilt was once ill-suited for standard musical theater, is particularly pleased with: “It all the time brought about me disgrace and unhappiness that I wasn’t ready to do the ones issues, however now I’m making a song in the best way I wish to sing on Broadway.”
Maximum of Pecinka’s off-stage time nowadays is spent getting ready for the June 16 Tony Awards, the place he’s nominated for Absolute best Efficiency by means of a Featured Actor in a Play along Brill and Gelb.
Having a look past “Stereophonic,” he’s desperate to parlay his newfound acclaim into tv and picture paintings in addition to theater. As for long term roles, he believes they will have not begun to be written.
“I was extra like Peter when I used to be more youthful ― an individual who’s chasing luck and dealing in point of fact exhausting,” he mentioned. ”[But] the item Peter has taught me is that my dream function won’t even exist but. I don’t really feel like I’ve been pigeonholed. If I will take care of that, I’ll be a more than happy clam.”
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“I really like enjoying anyone who may be very difficult, and there are issues I am getting to do as Peter that I don’t get to do in my lifestyles,” Pecinka mentioned. Valerie Terranova by means of Getty Photographs
