The Stranger Things Broadway play reviews are out with mixed results: " I fantasized about asking for a sedative"

The stage spin-off of Netflix’s popular sci-fi series Stranger Things made its Broadway debut last week in an open-ended run at Marquis Theatre in Manhattan. Titled: Stranger Things: The First Shadow, the stage play is directed by Stephen Daldry and written by Kate Trefry.

Stranger Things hits Broadway

The First Shadow, which opened on Tuesday, expands on the strange goings-on in Hawkins, Indiana where the the Creel family have relocated to start anew and put their troubled past behind them.

Henry Creel (played by Louis McCartney) settles in, makes new friends and even lands a role in the school play. But after a number of neighbors’ pets are found dead, the kids decide to investigate...

As the promotional blurb recounts: “As this thrilling mystery races forward, shadows of the past are unleashed, relationships are tested, and the town of Hawkins faces the ultimate question: Can the power of friendship outshine the darkness within?"

The impressive stage design, staggering special effects, theatrical jumps and trickery make The First Shadow thrilling and thoroughly enjoyable viewing although as some critics note, the script sometimes gets a little jumbled along the way.

What did the critics say about ‘Stranger Things: The First Shadow’

The dialogue is one of the main bugbears of the critics who gave the two-hour 45-minute stage show a negative review but overall, the reception was positive. Let’s look at what the experts had to say:

“So here it is, the Broadway show as theme park, right down to the three-storied façade of the ebony mansion through which all patrons must pass en route to their seats and the merch, and a thrill ride not to be forgotten. The goal is an immersive experience, and to my mind not only have they achieved it, but it’s a helluva lot more fun and exciting than the average “civilized” immersive (looking at you, Sleep No More). Are there enough of the fans and the curious to make it last and pay off? Only time will tell, just as only time will determine its chances to attract a whole new generation to the joys of live theater. Stranger things have happened" - Bob Verini, New York Stage Review and Variety.

“Herding all of it into a smashing piece of entertainment is director Daldry (The Inheritance, Billy Elliot: The Musical) and his co-director and frequent collaborator Justin Martin (Prima Facie), who funnel all the moving parts, colors, smoke, mirrors and monsters into a non-stop thrill ride. Sure, it’s more surface than substance, and its depictions of how we humans long for connection of any sort is sincere if not particularly original. But just try not to be tickled by even the simplest of the show’s trickery, like when a book fallen from a school locker flies right back in. At one point in the play, young, brainwashed Henry, under the villainous Brenner’s sway, can only surrender to the dark magic. I know the feeling” - Greg Evans, Variety & Daily Variety.

“The First Shadow, now an integral part of the ST canon, is an absolute must-see for all enthusiasts, and it will certainly inspire some of the uninitiated to binge the original (mission accomplished, Netflix). I’m betting this gateway to the Upside Down will remain open for a long time” - Pete Hempstead, TheaterMania.

“If The First Shadow is purely an act of fan service, at least it’s an unapologetic and, if the audience around me was any judge, satisfying one. Is it a play? I mean, yes-ish? Is it an extravagant TV-meets-theater-meets-theme-park hybrid that probably has not entirely heartening implications for the future of Broadway? For sure. Is it also so unrelentingly absurd that it’s hard to be mad at? Absolutely” - Sara Holdren, New York magazine and Vulture.

“Nothing is left unscathed. Jump-scare noises blow out your eardrums. Blinding lights and raining sparks make you crave Anna Wintour’s indoor sunglasses. And there’s so much billowing haze that on the evening I attended, a family in the front row sprinted up the aisle after five minutes as though their house had caught fire” - Johnny Oleksinski, New York Post.

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