Stranger Things: The First Shadow Premiered In London West End. Critics Are Calling The Stage Adaptation ‘Flawless’ And ‘Visually Spectacular’
Across the pond and Upside Down.
Fans of Stranger Things still have a while to go before we can see Season 5 — the Duffer Brothers’ conclusion to our Hawkins, Indiana, heroes’ battles with the creatures of the Upside Down. However, if you happen to be around London’s West End, you might have the opportunity to catch the theatrical production, Stranger Things: The First Shadow. Previews were held in November for the prequel, before it officially opened on December 14, and critics are weighing in on how the record-breaking Netflix series transitions to the stage.
The play is set in 1959 — the year Henry Creel (aka Number One, aka Vecna) and his family move to Hawkins — and it includes a number of characters we’re already familiar with, including Joyce (Isabella Pappas), Hopper (Oscar Lloyd) and Bob (Chris Buckley), in addition to, of course, Henry (Louis McCartney) and Dr. Brenner (Patrick Vaill). Shannon Connellan of Mashable praises the acting and compares the production to Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, as the productions share multiple crew members. Connellan writes:
Arifa Akbar of The Guardian rates it a perfect 5 out of 5 stars, writing that the production delivers one coup de theatre after another. It’s not necessarily just for fans, either, Akbar says. Stranger Things viewers will be able to trace storylines back, but The First Shadow is still “irresistible” for newcomers. The critic continues:
Alex Wood of What’s On Stage also gives it 5 stars out of 5 for how it “dials the visual spectacle up to 11.” Audiences are battered by wind, coated in haze, subjected to bloody scenes of gory panic and transported into mysterious realms just in the first 4 minutes, the critic writes, noting:
Neil Armstrong of BBC gives it 4 out of 5 stars, saying the visual effects are laudable, but it’s the characters and the actors’ portrayal of them that make Stranger Things: The First Shadow work. Armstrong continues:
The stage adaptation doesn’t work for everyone though. Johnny Oleksinski of the New York Post calls The First Shadow “a total disaster.” While the critic admits that Louis McCartney is “fantastic” in his professional stage debut as Henry Creel, he deserves better than this production. Oleksinski rates the play 1 star out of 4, writing:
It sounds like most critics find Stranger Things: The First Shadow to be a satisfying addition to the sci-fi franchise’s canon. Now if only we could get some information in regards to it making its way to the United States! While we wait for that and Stranger Things Season 5, however, fans can always relive the adventures of the first four seasons with a Netflix subscription, and check out what else is new and coming soon to Netflix.
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Heidi Venable is a Content Producer for CinemaBlend, a mom of two and a hard-core '90s kid. She started freelancing for CinemaBlend in 2020 and officially came on board in 2021. Her job entails writing news stories and TV reactions from some of her favorite prime-time shows like Grey's Anatomy and The Bachelor. She graduated from Louisiana Tech University with a degree in Journalism and worked in the newspaper industry for almost two decades in multiple roles including Sports Editor, Page Designer and Online Editor. Unprovoked, will quote Friends in any situation. Thrives on New Orleans Saints football, The West Wing and taco trucks.