Because the ruthlessly formidable Peter in Broadway’s “Stereophonic,” Tom Pecinka will get to reside out a Seventies rock celebrity myth — replete with the intercourse, medication and unfashionable model — onstage.
Regardless that the actor describes his Tony-nominated efficiency as a full-throttle, emotional purge, he’s thankful to depart that have in 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, informed HuffPost. “Peter lets in himself to explode, and I’d be mendacity if I mentioned attending to scream at somebody wasn’t cathartic. However I love to stay him on the theater. I do a ritual each evening the place I take off the necklace I put on and say good-bye to him, as a result of he’s now not probably the most a laugh particular person to reside with.”
Now taking part in at New York’s Golden Theatre, “Stereophonic” has been nominated for 13 Tony Awards — probably the most ever for a Broadway play. On Tuesday, the display’s run was once prolonged via Jan. 5 after at first being slated to near subsequent month.
Written by way of David Adjmi and directed by way 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 eager about a tempestuous, on-and-off dating with singer-songwriter Diana (Sarah Pidgeon).
Open Symbol ModalTom Pecinka, Will Brill and Sarah Pidgeon in “Stereophonic.”
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 way of a couple of hapless engineers, Grover (Eli Gelb) and Charlie (Andrew R. Butler).
The band’s recording periods are, after all, a fiery conflict of egos. Over the direction of 3 hours, the characters divulge their internal turmoil in between laying down tune, which contains acting unique songs by way of musician Will Butler, previously of the band Arcade Hearth.
“Artists come to the display, and so they move: ‘Oh, I do know the ache and the enjoyment of that procedure,’” Pecinka mentioned. “However any person who’s executed a bunch mission in basic faculty the place they have been paired with somebody they hate, or perhaps they needed to do the entire paintings as a result of nobody 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 participants 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 position, sending movies to the display’s ingenious workforce to stay them abreast of his weekly growth. Regardless 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 love it was once the Fleetwood Mac tale, as a result of those characters are so fleshed out, they felt like their very own 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 length. So it was once already type 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 danger to paintings with a modern author was once well worth the wait.
“Till then, my occupation had most commonly been Shakespeare and Chekhov and Ibsen — lifeless folks,” he quipped.
Open Symbol Modal”I by no means felt love it was once the Fleetwood Mac tale, as a result of those characters are so totally fleshed out, they felt like their very own folks,” mentioned Pecinka (on left, with Pidgeon).
Regardless that “Stereophonic” is billed as a “play with tune” slightly 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 informed by way of casting brokers that his rock tilt was once ill-suited for normal musical theater, is particularly pleased with: “It at all times 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 making ready for the June 16 Tony Awards, the place he’s nominated for Best possible Efficiency by way of a Featured Actor in a Play along Brill and Gelb.
Taking a look past “Stereophonic,” he’s desperate to parlay his newfound acclaim into tv and movie paintings in addition to theater. As for long term roles, he believes they are going to 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 reality onerous,” he mentioned. ”[But] the article Peter has taught me is that my dream position won’t even exist but. I don’t really feel like I’ve been pigeonholed. If I will be able to handle that, I’ll be a more than pleased clam.”
Open Symbol Modal”I love taking part in somebody 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 Pictures
