Stranger Things: The First Shadow
The Practical Details
Lotteries & Rush
The Show
The Theatre
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The Lowdown
The story hits Hawkins in 1959, before the monsters and the government conspiracies ruined the town’s vibe. It follows a young Jim Hopper, Joyce Maldonado, and Bob Newby as they navigate high school and typical teenage apathy. Then Henry Creel arrives, and the production starts flexing its budget. The special effects are legitimately jarring, creating a spectacle that justifies the nearly three-hour runtime. Stephen Daldry and Justin Martin clearly spent their entire production budget on making the stage dissolve, which is a welcome change from the usual static sets. If you can handle the strobes and the noise, it is worth a night out. Just avoid the tourists on the way into the theater.
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Reviews
Our verdict
The Netflix prequel as a stage spectacle, and on pure stagecraft it's stunning — Tony-winning design and illusions that rival Harry Potter's. The catch is the story: critics found the Hawkins origin tale thinner than the effects, even as fans eat up the jump-scares and Easter eggs. Come for the cinematic spectacle, and set expectations on the script.
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Born in the City –
The Netflix prequel as a stage spectacle, and on pure stagecraft it’s stunning — Tony-winning design and illusions that rival Harry Potter’s. The catch is the story: critics found the Hawkins origin tale thinner than the effects, even as fans eat up the jump-scares and Easter eggs. Come for the cinematic spectacle, and set expectations on the script.