Review of 'Stranger Things: The First Shadow'

https://uk.strangerthingsonstage.com/

My wife and I are big fans of the Netflix series “Stranger Things” with it's fun Goonie-esque vibe, great characters, and nostalgia for the 1980s when the series is set. To be honest though I have trouble recalling specific series details over the four seasons it has been on the air and it is these details that would likely help anyone planning on attending the play “Stranger Things: The First Shadow”.

The play is set before the events of the Netflix series in 1959 and explores the origins of Henry Creel (Louis Healy) who later becomes the villain Vecna in the series. We meet a young man who has troubling visions and, seemingly, unusual powers as he interacts with younger versions of the series' characters including a rebellious son of the town's sheriff Jim Hopper (George Smale), his future love interest Joyce Byers here Joyce Maldonado (Jessica Rhodes), her future geeky boyfriend Bob Newby (Callum Maxwell), and the sinister Dr. Brenner (Luke Mullins). The story opens with the mysterious events of “The Philadelphia Experiment” or “Project Rainbow” but we are quickly transported to Hawkins where Bob's nightly radio broadcast is widely ignored, Jim has problems with his car, and Joyce just wants to get out the small town, rebelliously putting on a provocative school play instead of light musical “Oklahoma”. When Henry arrives at their school things being to take a turn for the unusual when pets start disappearing. Joyce, Bob and a reluctant Jim investigate the disappearances. A reluctant Henry is cast as the lead in Joyce's play and strikes up a relationship with Patty Newby (Miranda Mufema). Talking to Henry about his powers that includes allowing him talk to the dead, Patty encourages him and seeks his help in talking to her dead mother. This does not go entirely well and Henry's power threaten to go out of control with the encouragement of the mysterious Dr Brenner…

Did you catch all that? Yes, it is a fairly elaborate plot but it comes together very nicely on the stage and simply boils down to Henry's mysterious abilities and the threat they pose to the world. It did take me some time to get into the play, trying to remember back to the details of the television series, but once I did it is easy to follow.

The staging of the play is absolutely wonderful - Minimalist to the extreme. This seems to fit the story itself as we are forced to concentrate on the characters and minimal, but perfectly realized, props with the rest of the stage blacked out behind them. The often brutally violent supernatural effects are highly realistic and afterwards leave you wondering how they were accomplished - A body hovering the air then twisted and warped into a convoluted shape. The acting is brilliant with the characters fully realized and the dialogue suitable for the time period. With such authentic performances, the audience can easily believe that the younger versions of series characters are truly on stage, seamlessly matching what we have come to recognise. There is often a great deal of frenetic action which the actors navigate easily hitting their marks perfectly and with an ease that almost feels like you are watching a tightly edited television show with the sacrifices of having to put this onto the stage not at all obvious.

In all, an amazing experience - great story, acting, sets and effects - but certainly one only for those familiar with the series. This is most definitely not a standalone play and unashamedly sets up viewers for the fifth and final series of “Stranger Things” to come later this year.

Rating: “Nearly perfect, but not quite”

Review Date: 2025-04-19

Location: London (England)

Address: Charing Cross Rd, London WC2H 0JP ENGLAND

Public Transport: Trafalgar Square Leicester Square

Telephone: +44 (0) 844 871 7629

URL: https://thephoenixtheatre.co.uk/

A small hidden away theatre on Charing Cross road (entrance on Phoenix Street) known for being the home of “Blood Brothers” for many years.