What is Stranger Things about? The horror, sci-fi, coming-of-age series features kids in peril, adults who fail them and nostalgia for a culture that never existed. What do we want from the final season? Answers? Closure? A spin-off? I want my favorite characters to survive. Or to depart in a blaze of glory.
Where does that leave Stranger Things: The First Shadow? The stage prequel premiered in the West End in 2023 and on Broadway in 2025. It attempts to rehabilitate a key villain. (And retcon some lore.) I’ll tap dance around major plot points. But you won’t gain much from it if you aren’t invested in the show. Kate Trefry’s play is not a self-contained story. It’s a bridge between seasons four and five. This leaves it as frustrating, and unsatisfying, as… well… the season four finale.
Louis McCartney gives a heartbreaking performance as Henry Creel. An awkward teen whose psychic powers have alienated him from his family. On his first day at Hawkins High he meets theater kid Joyce and tragic loner Patty. Joyce quickly casts Henry and Patty as lovers in her school play. These early developments plant the seeds for a Carrie-esque tragedy. It seems Henry’s opening night will substitute for Carrie’s prom.
That would be a fine template for a play. But the script is structured like a TV season. So, Patty asks Henry to help her solve a mystery. Joyce and her suitors, Jim Hopper and Bob Newby, investigate a mystery of their own. Henry has nightmares about scary monsters. And then there’s the tale of a missing naval ship. By intermission newcomers may be lost. Superfans will have guessed how the titular Shadow will tie these threads together.
The documentary Behind the Curtain: Stranger Things: The First Shadow follows the crew through rehearsals. Playwright Trefry discusses the challenges of compressing her sprawling plot into a three-hour play. The Duffer brothers censor the script to avoid spoiling season five. The creatives struggle to build elaborate special effects. They’re all fighting the limits of the stage rather than embracing its opportunities. It’s the young actors who supply the joy, offstage and on.
I love learning that Joyce was head of her drama club. High school theater has helped many a misfit find community. They give Henry a glimpse of what life could be, if fate had been kinder.
I enjoyed The First Shadow but can’t wholeheartedly recommend it. The play succeeds in making Henry Creel sympathetic. Less Bad Seed. More Anakin Skywalker. But his character arc grows fuzzy in act two. It’s unclear which choices are his and which are forced upon him. Pivotal scenes lack context. A booming soundtrack drowns out the dialogue, despite the actors’ best efforts to shout over it. After bows they play a trailer for season five. You won’t learn Henry’s fate till December 31, 2025. Better hold on to your Netflix subscription! Head to the lobby to buy a demogorgan plushie! It’s a win for capitalism. Less so for art.
You can find more of my reviews on The Avocado, Letterboxd and Serializd. My podcast, Rainbow Colored Glasses, can be found here.