‘Stranger Things: The First Shadow’ review: Netflix stage play is a total disaster
15.12.2023 - 01:59
/ nypost.com
the streamer’s freshman attempt at a stage play is a huge, insufferable embarrassment.Mega-fans of the TV series, like me, will be extremely disappointed by how the live show, which opened Thursday night at the Phoenix Theatre in London, epically fails to conjure the magic and small-town charm of the Duffer brothers’ popular creation. Three hours, plus an intermission.
At the Phoenix Theatre in London.This bloated behemoth bears zero resemblance to your favorite binge-watch. What’s strange is that all this money and talent amounts to such a shambles.
And for the poor, unfortunate newbies who know zilch about Hawkins, Indiana, the Upside Down, or the Demogorgon and just want a fun night out at the theater, well, they are completely out of luck. The West End drama, written by Kate Trefry, is an incomprehensible mess, and the running time exceeds three hours.
“First Shadow” is meant to be a prequel to “Stranger Things” set in the 1950s — Stephen Daldry’s direction is so careless, you’d never know — wherein we learn how an ostracized young Henry Creel becomes the main baddie of the retro, supernatural saga.And it’s in Henry the show has its sole virtue — newcomer Louis McCartney.The fantastic actor, who’s making his professional stage debut, is tortured, terrifying, and mesmeric as the future all-powerful villain. He unnaturally contorts his body as if he’s being exercised by Father Karras, is emotionally gripping, and makes an unshakable impression on his audience.