When is a musical not a musical? When it is a play about a musical group recording an album.

"Stereophonic" is a play about a rock band taking years to record an album while facing the pressure of following up their previous Number 1 album! Their record label gives them plenty of time and money, but they spend three years in the studio, and the pressure affects their relationships with one another. Tempers flare, and personal relationships dissolve. At the start of recording, two romantic relationships exist within the five-person group. One is destroyed because the man is a self-pitying drug addict and alcoholic. The album producer destroys the other relationship with his behavior. Although he is a perfectionist, he is also condescending and insulting toward others, particularly his partner. The fifth member loses his family in England due to his prolonged absence in California.

Because the story takes place in the 1970s and the unnamed band consists of British and American musicians, many believe it is a chronicle of Fleetwood Mac's creation of their classic "Rumours" album. That real-life session strained the romantic relationship between Stevie Nicks and Lyndsey Buckingham.

I don't know if playwright David Adjmi intended this as a reflection of Fleetwood Mac, but he brought a great deal of emotion to this script. The dialogue sounds real, and the uncomfortable silence adds to the building tension among the characters.

Composer Will Butler draws on his work with the band Arcade Fire to provide an excellent soundtrack for the show. Unlike a musical, the song lyrics do not drive the story forward. Instead, the band focuses on recording the ultimate version of each song - often involving multiple takes.

The cast of "Stereophonic," who performed at Chicago's CIBC Theater Friday night, gave life to Adjmi's characters.

The show was not a musical, but it had great music and great emotion.