Stranger Things: The First Shadow is somewhat of a miracle, really. Though we live in an age of endless sequels, spinoffs, prequels, reboots, and remakes, The First Shadow provides a truly unique narrative experience. Translating Stranger Things to the stage can’t have been an easy task, and yet this production, currently onstage in London’s West End, does so with aplomb.
Stranger Things season 4 introduced the world to Henry Creel, otherwise known as 001, Dr. Brenner’s first and most dangerous scientific experiment. Henry’s relationship with his powers and his history with Eleven were meticulously explored in the series, changing the nature of the Upside Down forever and upending everything we thought we knew about Eleven’s past, too. But there’s more to the story than meets the eye, and Stranger Things: The First Shadow dives into the truth of Henry’s abilities, his relationship with Brenner, and his connection to the Mind Flayer. It’s a prequel that doesn’t need to be seen to understand the Netflix show but one that adds a significant amount of depth to this mysterious antagonist and the lore surrounding the Upside Down.
Going back to the start
As it turns out, the Stranger Things story doesn’t start in the late 1950s but rather during World War II, as the franchise once again takes inspiration from an old conspiracy and uses it to fuel its ambitious storytelling—in this instance, the mythical Philadelphia Experiment. In a bombastic and terrifying “pre-credits scene” that prepares the audience for the spectacle to come, the USS Eldridge hosts a group of scientists working on a classified project known as Project Rainbow, intended to make the powers of invisibility a reality. But things inevitably go wrong, and the world gets its first taste of the horrors of the Upside Down. The staging during this scene is clever and grandiose and sets the tone for the rest of the show.
The story, crafted by Jack Thorne (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), Stranger Things writer Kate Trefry, and the Duffer brothers themselves, strikes that perfect balance between mystery, horror, and the lives of the residents of Hawkins that made the show so beloved in the first place. The play switches from high school shenanigans to otherworldly voids in a matter of seconds, but one is never left with a feeling of whiplash. Rather, it feels exactly like it did the first time you watched this show; a perfect blend of compelling characters and creeping darkness. The plot may move a bit too swiftly at times and could become a little confusing for those not as intricately versed in Stranger Things lore, but Henry’s story will leave you wanting more.
The sets, music, and lighting are all integral in making this balance achievable. Some sets are straight out of the original show, but it’s always clear that real thought was put into how these familiar settings were used. The way Henry is immersed in that pitch-black void is nothing short of thrilling, and Stranger Things’ trademark red is used to great effect. Stephen Daldry and Justin Martin’s co-direction is precise and undeniably impressive.
Shifting focus
The technical elements are impressive but a story is nothing without its characters. Stranger Things has spawned some of the most beloved characters of this century—Joyce Byers, Jim Hopper, Eleven, Steve Harrington, Dustin Henderson, Max Mayfield, Lucas Sinclair, his sister Erica, and Nancy Wheeler are just some of the characters that the world has come to love. In The First Shadow, though, it’s Stranger Things’ adults that get the chance to shine. As the play takes place in the late 1950s, our favorite Hawkins parents are still teenagers, just trying to survive until the end of the school year.
Most, like Hopper and Joyce, dream of getting out of Hawkins once they graduate high school. Joyce, especially, played with fierce sincerity by Isabella Pappas, is given the chance to be more than the world’s most badass and protective mom—she’s an aspiring theater director, hoping that her ambitious production of Dark of the Moon will win her the scholarship she so desperately needs. Hopper (Oscar Lloyd) struggles to relate to his father, Chief Hopper, as he becomes obsessed with unraveling the mystery of Hawkins’ murdered pets. Bob Newby (Christopher Buckley), who died too soon in Stranger Things season 2, shows off his impressive technical skills, all the while affected by his unrequited crush on Joyce, while his adoptive sister Patty (Ella Karuna Williams), an entirely new Stranger Things character, fits right into the mythos as she clashes with her father and questions where she comes from.
The characters we know and love are instantly recognizable. The cast does a great job of channeling their TV show counterparts while making it believable that these characters have lived less and experienced fewer dangers. This story, however, would be nothing without Henry Creel, and one has to applaud Louis McCartney, who makes his professional stage debut in The First Shadow and instantly captures Creel’s awkwardness, intensity, and underlying darkness as he wrestles with his powers and reluctantly falls for Patty. Though there is a danger here of making Creel a little too sympathetic—Vecna is, after all, the definition of evil—the play manages to prove that Henry was a little evil all along, too.
All in all, Stranger Things: The First Shadow is not a play that necessarily needed to be made—few prequels are. But it is an undeniably impressive production, made all the better by stunning sets and an impressive cast. We’ll just have to wait and see if this part of the story will influence Stranger Things season 5.
Stranger Things: The First Shadow runs through August 25, 2024 at the Phoenix Theatre in London.
(featured image: Manuel Harlan)
