Stranger Things: The First Shadow at the Phoenix Theatre – review round-up

Stranger Things: The First Shadow – a powerful prequel

The story at the heart of Stranger Things: The First Shadow has been developed by the show’s creators the Duffer brothers, playwright Jack Thorne – author of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, among other acclaimed plays – and screenwriter Kate Trefry. As the title suggests, it establishes the backstory to the blockbuster series – and it does so brilliantly for most critics.

The show is “audacious, exhilarating and relentlessly inventive” for Dave Fargnoli (The Stage, ★★★★), “hugely entertaining” for Adam Bloodworth (CityAM, ★★★★), and “totally awe-inspiring” for Marianka Swain (LondonTheatre, ★★★★★). For Nick Curtis (Evening Standard, ★★★★★), it is “a spectacular, multimedia prequel, full of enough thrills, scares and knowing nods to please fans and the uninitiated in equal measure”, while for Emily Baker (iNews, ★★★★) it is simply “rip-roaring fun”.

It “irresistible” agrees Arifa Akbar (Guardian, ★★★★★). It is “neither derivative nor an exercise in imitation”, but “breathtaking theatre with its own arresting imagination”. It has “the same sense of sprawling mystery” as the television series, but is simultaneously “underpinned by serious inquiries into the psychopathy of war, toxic inheritance and the search for good parents”, she adds.

Not everyone agrees. For Andrzej Lukowski (Time Out, ★★★), the show suffers from “dramatic bloat”, while for Houman Barekat (New York Times) it is “a gaudy, vertiginous fairground ride” with “modest intellectual aspirations” and no more than “a franchise eating itself”. Most, though, concur with Luke Jones (Daily Mail, ★★★★). “Yes, it’s Netflix milking a brand”, and “the West End indulging in a screen favourite instead of promoting something new”, he writes, “but it’s thrillingly done”.

Stranger Things: The First Shadow – a spectacular staging

The plot is only part of the appeal of Stranger Things: The First Shadow. Much of the hype around directors Daldry and Martin’s production has been about the special effects, conjured up by Buether’s designs, Jon Clark’s lighting, Paul Arditti’s sound, DJ Walde’s music, 59 Productions’ projections, and Jamie Harrison and Chris Fisher’s illusions. And it was justified.

The show’s special effects are “jaw-dropping” for Swain, “mind-boggling” for Curtis, “groundbreaking” for Fargnoli, “mesmerising” for Baker, and “eye-popping” for Akbar. “It is awesome,” writes Lukowski. “Everyone in the groaning credits list deserves extravagant praise.”

The opening scene, in which a US navy warship is sucked into an alternate universe, is particularly praised. It is “the most technically audacious opening 10 minutes of a show I’ve ever seen,” writes Lukowski. For Bloodworth, it is “truly astonishing” and “will go down in London theatre history” alongside “the flying car in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the helicopter in Miss Saigon” and the “award-winning illusions in Harry Potter”.

“Everything is dialled up to 11 – from Buether’s unending number of elaborate and meticulously crafted sets, to Arditti’s sound design utilising effects familiar to fans of the series, to 59 Productions’ effective video design featuring heavily from the off,” describes Alex Wood (WhatsOnStage, ★★★★★). “Special credit has to go to illusions and visual effects designers Harrison and Fisher, who dish out gripping and gruesome moments with awe-inspiring frequency.”

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Stranger Things: The First Shadow – magnificent McCartney

A spectacular show is nothing without its cast, though. Here, the ensemble includes Isabella Pappas and Oscar Lloyd as young versions of Joyce and Hopper, the characters played by Winona Ryder and David Harbour in the television series; Oklahoma! star Patrick Vaill as Doctor Brenner, played by Matthew Modine on screen; and Louis McCartney and Ella Karuna Williams as the supernaturally powered Creel, who is menaced by monsters throughout, and his friend Patty. All impress.

McCartney makes a “spellbinding professional debut” as Creel according to Dominic Cavendish (Telegraph, ★★★★★), while Lukowski hails him as “excellent” and Fargnoli calls him “menacingly mercurial”. It is a “star-making performance” according to Swain. McCartney’s possessed Creel is “by turns shy, awkward, enraged, scared and curious as he battles to own his identity”, she writes.

McCartney is “superb” as Creel, “a shuddering, terrified nerd whose monster creates havoc without and horror within,” says David Benedict (Variety). “The show hangs on his shoulders, and its success is due in no small part to the way he holds focus even in the midst of one coup de théâtre after another.”

Elsewhere, there is plenty of praise for Pappas and Vaill. Pappas is “a dead ringer for Ryder” and “nails Joyce’s mix of bravado and vulnerability”, writes Swain, while Fargnoli admires her “irrepressible, idealistic fire” and Curtis calls her “drily formidable”. Vaill’s Doctor Brenner, meanwhile, is “electrifying” for Wood, “chilling” for Swain and “thunderingly menacing” for Curtis.

Stranger Things: The First Shadow – the verdict

Five stars from the Telegraph, the Guardian, LondonTheatre, WhatsOnStage and the Evening Standard, plus four from almost every other publication suggests that the hype surrounding Stranger Things: The First Shadow was justified. There are only a couple of lukewarm reviews, from Andrzej Lukowski in Time Out and Houman Barekat in the New York Times.

Most critics find the show’s story thrilling, its ensemble excellent, and its staging stunning. They concur that Netflix’s first foray into theatre is a breathtaking blockbuster of a show.