Stranger Things The First Shadow

Stranger Things The First Shadow takes the audience into the Duffer Brothers famous sci-fi world and leads them to Hawkins in the 50’s, 4 decades before the TV show is set. Fans of the TV show will meet familiar characters and see origin stories played out on stage in front of you, whilst retaining the tension that the Netflix show is so well known for. For those unfamiliar with the TV show whilst nuance may be missed it is an original story that can be followed in its own right.

The production starts with a bang and the first 30 seconds of the show grips you from the beginning, setting the tone instantly with strange goings on aboard a naval ship. When this opening cuts to the Stranger Things theme tune music there was a few moments of stunned silence before spontaneous applause broke out. From that moment on I was fully invested. Fast forward a few years and we are back in the familiar surroundings of Hawkins where Joyce, James Hopper and Bob Newby are at school along with new student Henry Creel. He strikes up a friendship with Patty Newby the principals daughter but soon pets are found dead and we discover Henry may be behind it.

The story by Kate Trefry, The Duffer Brothers and Jack Thorne is brilliantly paced, the story unfolds well, flitting between lighter moments at the school to scenes with a more sinister feel which keeps the audience on their toes. The Sci-Fi is balanced out nicely by the human elements that surround it. The characters themselves suffer a small bit as there is so much story to cram in that, apart from Henry himself, they are underdeveloped and consequently I didn’t feel as strongly about Joyce, Bob and Hopper that I would have expected as a fan of the show and wondered if some of their sub plots were really necessary.

The shows technical acumen really helps support the sinister parts of the show. The set design by Miriam Buether is so clever and when combined with projections, illusions and a stunning lighting design by Jon Clark the audience feel immersed into Hawkins. The sound design by Paul Ardetti adds to this further, when not only was every word crisp and clear, the ability to put the audience on edge through sound effects was astounding. The actions moves around quickly from the School, to the Creel household, to Dr Brenner’s lab and more but each time a new set was unveiled it felt like their ability to do something new on stage was enhanced.

The acting is superb throughout, in particular that of Louis McCartney who plays Henry Creel who goes from mild mannered teenage boy to a boy possessed by a mind flayer. Each moment of it is utterly convincing, his face contorted as he acts out unspeakable horrors yet crumples like a young child when seeking the love of a parent figure. Ella Karuna Williams is Patty Newby, the calm in the middle of Henry’s storm and exudes the self possession needed to help him fight his battles. Isabelle Pappas is a fiery and determined Joyce Maldonado whose body language clearly echoes the adult Joyce we are used to seeing on our screens. Oscar Lloyd portrays Hopper Jr as a boy with a huge heart looking for acceptance who is just to afraid to admit it and masks this with a huge amount of swagger and gumption.

Stranger Things The First Shadow is a brilliant example of how to build tension on stage and how the combination of engaging storytelling combined with some of the most breath taking technical work on the west end can result in a must see show.

Stranger Things The First Shadow is on at The Phoenix Theatre and is currently booking until February 2025. I got my tickets through the TodayTix Rush for £25. You can get tickets here.

If you like this review you might also like my review of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Moulin Rouge and Witness for the Prosecution.

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