OH.
MY.
GOD.
I had no desire to see "Stranger Things: The First Shadow." It felt like another obnoxious cash grab in the "Which IP are we going to adapt for Broadway next?" catalogue. Up next: Netflix's offering. And of all the things to adapt - a retro sci-fi/horror show that was fantastic in it's first season but has gotten progressively worse (with some improvements in season four) leading up to the, as yet still unreleased, fifth season (due to be released imminently). Not a genre "born for the stage" as it were, even in the best of circumstances. And the T.V. show isn't currently in the "best of circumstances."
But after seeing "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" (which I reviewed for State of the Art (https://stateoftheartreview.blogspot.com/2025/10/harry-potter-and-cursed-child-on.html) I wanted to see what else the brilliant illusion team had up their sleeve.
At intermission for "Stranger Things" I texted a friend:
"They've literally invented a new genre of theater."
"Stranger Things: The First Shadow" is one of the most extraordinary things I've ever seen. It deserves awards they haven't even invented categories for. I honestly left the theater feeling: "I'm so lucky to live in a time where a show like this exists." And I do not take it lightly when I say RUN, don't walk. Even the highest price ticket is, honestly, worth it.
One disclaimer - do NOT bring children to this show! You know your kids best, but this show is SCARY for adults, and would likely be traumatizing for children. If your kid loves Millie Bobby Brown, that is not enough of a reason to bring them. I would leave everyone under 15/16 at home.
On a technical level, "Stranger Things" takes "Cursed Child" and raises the bar to levels I didn't know could be achieved in the theater in terms of visceral emotional reaction (what makes this all the more remarkable is that most of the illusion work relies of techniques that could have been pulled off 100 years ago... this is about craftsmanship in the service of storytelling.) But, mercifully UNLIKE "Cursed Child", "Stranger Things" has a story to back it up. The piece would hold water without a single moment of illusion work...I would have a satisfying evening at the theater seeing it in a black box with the more "theatrical" elements dealt with in less fantastic ways.
BUT
Those "fantastic ways" elevate the piece into something unlike anything you've ever seen. No play, no magic show, no other theatrical experience can touch it. Scenes involving illusion work literally STOP THE SHOW with applause the way a brilliant number in a musical can. It's not just because they "did something cool" - it's because we were taken on a breathtaking emotional journey and then given a moment to breathe.
They pipe in scent. The exit signs/light in the theater flicker when the electricity on stage goes haywire. Hazmat clad agents comb the audience looking for a subject...and watch out if you're sitting on the far house left seats of the first row - you will get dirt dumped into your lap when characters are digging up an animal cadaver. There are technical sequences that are so astounding - both for what they're achieving technically, but more so for what they're achieving emotionally, that, as I said, they stop the show. On the night I went the show was stopped SIX times from applause - in the same way "Rose's Turn" stops the show in "Gypsy." The whole experience is like a rock concert. I didn't know it was possible for a play to do that.
Shockingly, the story has a reason for existing other than just being a "cash grab" and pulls off that very difficult balance required of pieces riffing on known IP's - not relying on the audience knowing the characters and the source material to be satisfying, but having extra "ahh!" moments if they do. In truth the piece is like a modern day Greek tragedy, and is an investigation of what happens when humanity is commodified or, worse, disregarded all together in the name of personal gain or, as, sadly, has particular resonance now, political power. It also, in contrast to the themes of the "Stranger Things" T.V. show, shows the tragedy of communities breaking down. Similarly to Hamlet, we watch Henry lose, one by one, everyone he thought he could trust...leaving him with only one possible source of support...darkness itself.
The other remarkable balance they've managed to achieve is that we are scared and feel "in danger" without EVER feeling unsafe. There are moments in the show that border on the feeling of walking through a truly terrifying haunted house... but it always stays JUST this side of traumatizing... allowing us to trust putting ourselves in the creative team's hands. Any further, and you might feel like you need to leave the theater. As it is, it feels like a spectacular roller coaster ride.
The show is long... act one clocks in at about an hour and a half, and act two is a bit over an hour. with intermission lasting twenty, not the usual fifteen, minutes. I'm sure there was a lot of pressure on the team to get the run time down but, you know what? I wish it had been longer.
The plot is complex, but presented in a simple, clear way. Anyone who has seen the show knows where this is going the moment we hear the name Henry Creel - which adds to the Shakespearian-ness of the story. We are going to see the downfall of Henry - his villain origin story. But that doesn't take away from the enjoyment or tension any more than Richard III announcing his plans takes any of the tension away as we watch him carry them out. But aiding in the suspense is the addition of a brand new character to the "Stranger Things" universe - Patty Newby. Everyone except Patty has at least made a cameo on the "Stranger Things" T.V. show. But we know nothing about Patty and, in the way that the Baker and Baker's Wife in "Into the Woods" become the audience surrogates in a world where we know every other character's story by heart, Patty becomes our giant unknown in this world. The story takes place thirty-ish years before season one of "Stranger Things", in the late 1950's - when The T.V. show adult characters were high school students (which is also really fun - we get to see the events that led these characters to become the adults we know they will grow into. And if you haven't seen the T.V. show, you still get fantastic, well-rounded, fleshed out characters.)
We get some backstory on a World War II experiment gone horribly wrong, that resulted in the fracturing of a barrier between worlds, and opening the gate to horrific monsters getting a foothold in our universe. Cut to: Young Henry Creel moves with his family to the small town of Hawkins. We know the move was the result of a traumatic, unexplained incident at Henry's last school, and that Henry is, well...different. Not only is he shy and socially awkward, but he has...special abilities. He can use radio waves (he carries a radio wherever he goes) to see into the minds of others, focus his telekinetic powers and, unfortunately, have a traumatic relationship with whatever that monster is who got awakened back in World War II. And all that monster wants is for Henry to "let it in."
At school, Henry befriends Patty. Branded as "The Girl From Nowhere", Patty is the adopted daughter of the high school principal who is ostracized for being an orphan, and desperately wants to find her mother. Patty is also mixed race in a decidedly "all American" small town, which adds to her feelings of isolation. Patty's brother is Bob Newby who runs the local radio station. The other principal school characters include Joyce Maldonado - the tough as nails leader of the drama club who ropes Henry and Patty into starring in her "subversive" take on "The Dark of The Moon", which she hopes will get her a theater scholarship and out of Hawkins, James Hopper, Jr. - a good guy who is trying to escape the shadow of his abusive chief of police father, and lots of other fun folks who we come to know and love.
Side note: the choice to use "Dark of the Moon" as a metaphor for what's going on in the play at large is inspired and adds to the mythic nature of the story. "Dark of the Moon" is a classic that tells the story of a "witch boy" who falls in love with the beautiful but ostracized Barbara Allen and is told that he can become a human if Barbara remains faithful to him for a full year (sort of a "Little Mermaid" in reverse.) The story ends tragically, with Barbara being manipulated into betraying her love. Henry is cast as the odd witch boy, Patty as Barbara, and if you know anything about "Dark of the Moon", you know where this is going...
Henry's powers start to take over, leading to him, unintentionally, horrifically killing dozens of pets in the town, communing with his "monster" and all in all being tempted to the "dark side." He confides in Patty who, far from shying away, tells him that his powers are a "gift" and his differences make him special. It's a great line to walk - we're at once cheering the supportive sentiment, but terrified that it's misplaced. There are some abilities that actually need support and help, not encouragement of being "special," and while we're charmed by Patty's goodness and innocence, it makes us scared for her (and Henry) from the word "go." Patty convinces Henry to use his powers to help her find her mom - and his attempts to do so open the gate for his monster even wider. Things come to a head at the end of act one when things go so wrong that Mrs. Creel calls a special doctor in to take Henry away and "help him" - there's a gasp in the audience when the doctor shows up and announces himself as Dr. Brenner (if you know, you know.)
In act two, Henry is "mentored" by Dr. Brenner who, far from actually helping Henry, is making everything ten times worse by encouraging the dark side of his powers (and his kinship with the monster) at all costs. Brenner encourages him to murder (it will make him stronger), and all the while Henry is still fighting to remain good. The kids at school are investigating the death of the pets and trying to figure out what's really going on, all while wrestling with their own identities and what they want for their futures. Things reach a climax at the opening of "Dark of the Moon." Henry has escaped from Dr. Brenner and is making one last stand... but by this point he's leaning pretty far over the dark precipice beneath him...having, let's just say, moved on from killing animals...
Victor De Paula Rocha played Henry at the performance I saw and, oh man, was he incredible. Louis McCartney officially plays the role, and I've seen clips of his work. Both actors are over the moon extraordinary and, frankly, if ever there was a role that deserved to be double cast on Broadway purely because of the difficulty performing it, this is it! Historically, for example, Christine in "The Phantom of the Opera" had a "matinee" Christine, and the main actress playing the role only did six performances a week (as opposed to the traditional eight.) Many in the theater world felt that was a little extreme for that role... when you break it down it's no so challenging that it REALLY needs the double casting, but OMG I don't know how anyone plays Henry eight times a week (but they do!) The character is barely ever off-stage, and when they're on they are constantly in a state of emotional torment, physical convulsions (man, I hope they have a good PT on staff...) and are the center of almost every illusion sequence in the show. De Paula Rocha was so organic and both empathetic, and terrifying in the role...I couldn't take my eyes off of him. And the fact that there was never any hint of let up, or a break in his performance even when juggling the insane technical considerations and set ups that were most often happening in the center of an emotional scene is a level of craftsmanship few ever get the opportunity to attempt, let alone succeed at. I can't wait to see him in other things, and I hope the "Stranger Things" team use him in the actual show.
Another stand out was Patrick Scott McDermott who was on as Bob. Not only was he pitch perfect in the role, but I then found out that he understudies about six different roles... and is only SIXTEEN YEARS OLD! Talk about Broadway's MVP! McDermott has a great career ahead of him! I never would have thought for a moment that he wasn't the main actor for the role, and I would love to go back and see him in his other tracks. Gabrielle Nevaeh is beautiful as Patty and walks the line between being "the best friend" and main character in her own right, as well as her (potentially) conflicting motivations regarding Henry wonderfully. She also deserves major props for maintaining such an exquisite performance in the midst of all the technical considerations.
Alison Jaye is perfect as Joyce - and plays the role just as well (if not, perhaps, sometimes better) than Wynona Ryder. She is a POWERHOUSE! Always empathetic, always strong and entirely unique. Burke Swanson is a delight as Hopper, and has clearly crafted the arc of his performance with a fine toothed comb. T. R. Knight is back on Broadway as Victor Creel and does a wonderful job balancing the coldness of a harsh father with the vulnerability of a traumatized veteran suffering from PTSD. Dora Dolphin is absolutely darling, Stephen Wattrus is bold and terrifying, yet always human and, well, I could go on and on about the cast. There's not a misstep in the whole company!
Kate Trefry has written a fantastic script and I'm so curious to see what she does next in the theater world. Stephen Daldry has captained a rich, complex ship with a deft and intelligent hand. Every design element is brilliant from the costumes by Brigitte Reiffenstuel and set by Miriam Buether to the lighting by Jon Clark, sound by Paul Arditti, video and visual effects (59 Studio), original music (D.J. Walde), movement direction (Lynne Page), wigs, hair and make-up (Campbell Young Associates), fight/intimacy direction (Sordelet Inc.) and, of course the illusions and visual effects by Jamie Harrison and Chris Fisher.
Go see this show. It's extraordinary. It revived my excitement for the current state of theater (which is pretty dismal at the moment, in general). This will be one of those pieces that you remember for the rest of your life and are glad you got to see in person. I pray that more theater makers take a page from this extraordinary work to, budget aside, push against the limits of what's possible in the theater, take chances, and tell an extraordinary story in an extraordinary way. RUN, don't walk to see it!
Hunter Reed
STRANGER THINGS: THE FIRST SHADOW is currently running at The Marquee Theatre on Broadway
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