Stranger Things: The First Shadow

!!!!!POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!!

I saw Stranger Things: The First Shadow a few weeks ago and it might be one of my favorite things I’ve seen on Broadway.

This production just started its Broadway run but it first opened in London on the West End in 2023. Both productions are currently running strong, and it seems unlikely that either will be closing anytime soon! The Broadway production’s current home is the Marquis Theatre so this was also my first visit to this theater.

This production is 2 hours and 45 minutes of insanity. It is a prequel to the series on Netflix. It takes place in 1959 and features younger versions of many of the adults that we see in the show including Joyce, Hopper, Bob Newby, and the parents of the other kids in the show.

The two main characters of the play are Henry Creel (who we meet in Season 4) and Patty Newby (Bob’s sister). While we don’t see Patty in the tv show, this is sort of explained away by the end of the play (heavy emphasis on the sort of). I do have high hopes that she comes up in Season 5 though. Henry, on the other hand, plays a very important role in the tv show and the play. This play is both his origin story and sort of the origin of the Hawkins Lab we see in the show.

The special effects in this production were top tier. I don’t want to give away how it fits into the story but there is a full-size Mind Flayer that comes down from the ceiling and my jaw literally dropped the moment it appeared. There is so much visual storytelling done through the sets, sound, and special effects that I wish I could see the production again so that I was more prepared to digest everything happening around me.

This show was also so immersive. All throughout the show the actors enter the seating area and stand next to audience members. This even happens in the mezzanine (where I was sitting). Someone was picked out of their seat right before intermission and escorted out by “scientists.” Another girl had her purse examined by the “scientists.” You never knew when someone might appear next to your seat!

There is so much lore for the show that is explored in the play. We get to see how “Project Rainbow” was born and Dr. Brenner’s connection to the whole operation. We are also able to see how the parents interacted when they were in school and some of the relationships they had. And because the major storyline surrounds Henry Creel, we are able to piece together what happened to him that leads to him becoming the person that he is in Season 4. There's even an appearance of Eleven at the end.

As of now Netflix hasn’t stated if there are any plans to record a version of the play for Netflix but I believe that they will address the plot points introduced in the show in some way either in Season 5 or before. There are so many things mentioned in this show that seem very important to the overall story of the show, especially things related to what is going on at Hawkins Lab. The creators of the play and show have stated that the play will connected to Season 5 so maybe we will get some sort of announcement soon. Netflix's TUDUM event is on May 31, so maybe we will learn something then!

For now, I can be found rewatching the first four seasons of the show and dissecting everything about it in preparation for Season 5. If you need me, I’ll by curled up on my couch!