This year’s annualStranger ThingsDay was held earlier this week and to celebrate the occasion, I had the opportunity to see Netflix’sStranger Things: The First Shadow. For those who aren’t in the know,The First Shadowis a play located in London’s West End which marks the streaming service’s first attempt at a stage production - and my oh my, it’s a triumphant success.
Stranger Things: The First Shadowis pitched as essential viewing that bridges the gap between season four and five of the Netflix series. It’s a prequel that takes us back to the year 1959, when the adult characters we all know and love - including Joyce, Hopper, and Bob - are students at Hawkins High School, as is new boy Henry Creel. Perhaps better known to us as Vecna,The First Shadowexplores how Henry came to acquire his powers, filling in an important gap in his backstory.
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Of course, ‘essential viewing’ is a rather strong statement when you’re adapting a global TV series into a stage show that’s being performed in precisely one city worldwide - althoughThe First Shadowwill debut on New York’s Broadway next year. Even still, plenty ofStranger Thingsfans are going to be without the opportunity to seeThe First Shadow,making it very much an indulgence. That being said, if you are someone who is able to access the show and purchase tickets, I’d urge you to as essential viewing isn’t too far wrong.
Take a look atStranger Things: The First Shadowin action below.
I was lucky enough to attend a panel with some of the cast and crew after the show, where associate producer Max Bittleston describedThe First Shadowas the most technically ambitious ever to be staged in the West End, and I can believe it. I’ve personally never seen effects like it. The Upside Down, or Dimension X as it’s referred to at this point in time, is brought to life before your very eyes - bringing with it the dimension’s various nasties, from demogorgons to the Mind Flayer. In fact, in parts, I felt like I was watching a TV series or film. I couldn’t quite believe that what was happening was live theatre.
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Louis McCartney is phenomenal as Henry Creel, and I’m not surprised he’s been nabbed to reprise the role for the Broadway production’s debut next year. To sustain such a physical and emotional intensity for nearly three hours, night after night, cannot be an easy task but Louis pulled it off with ease. He’s so compelling that you can’t help but become utterly immersed in the story. In fact, the whole cast excelled. Isabella Pappas and Christopher Buckley’s iterations of the younger Joyce and Bob, respectively, also stood out to me, with both actors capturing the mannerisms of Winona Ryder and Sean Astin.
But I don’t want to delve too far into review territory. The bottom line is that you should absolutely see the showifyou can. You’ll be left amazed and thoroughly entertained, and I found myself just as impressed, if not more so, as I am when I watch the TV series. But what I really want to talk about is howThe First Shadowsets upStranger Things’ upcoming fifth season. Of course, I cannot do that without touching uponspoilers, solet this be your warning. If you’ve seen the show and want to delve deeper into its story, you’re in the right place. If you’re unable to see the show and want to find out what you’re missing out on, you’re in the right place. If you have plans to seeThe First Shadowand want to stay spoiler-free, you better look away now.
The Duffer brothers previously confirmed thatThe First Shadowwould feature some Easter eggs for season five, and I’m pretty sure I’ve picked them out - so let’s address the elephant in the room, Henry Creel.The First Shadowreveals how Henry, the first of Brenner’s subjects, came to acquire his powers - and it all begins with something called The Philadelphia Experiment, undertaken in 1943. The play opens with a wartime ship, the SS Aldridge, running a government experiment that sees the crew try to activate a cloaking device to make the ship invisible. This is actually something military conspiracy theorists believe happened in real life.
Netflix/Sonia Friedman Productions
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That’s not the only aspect of this part of the story that feels important. Let’s hop back to Brenner, because we’ve never really been told why he’s obsessed with Henry, Eleven, and the other experiments.The First Shadowprovides an answer on that front: to avenge his father who was killed on the first (accidental) trip to Dimension X, but with Dimension X/The Upside Down still being a major threat, Brenner is yet to succeed. It’s a great way to flesh out Brenner’s character, because up until this point, I’d never really understood his cruelty and while it’s hardly condonable, you can understand his desperation.
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Netflix/Sonia Friedman Productions
As with the mystery surrounding that aforementioned box, the unveiling of The Philadelphia Experiment also feels pretty pivotal. While the mysterious object was the first known instance of Dimension X actively affecting someone in the normal world, The Philadelphia Experiment marked the first time Dimension X was accessed. Going along the lines of what I said earlier, perhaps it’s in examining how the dimension was opened that Eleven and company will somehow figure out how to seal it away.
Patty asks Henry if he’s able to use Dimension X to track down her mother after Henry confides that he can use the parallel plane to hear voices. Of course, as the play progresses, Henry grows more and more out of control, and using his power has disastrous consequences. I don’t want to unnecessarily spoil all of Patty’s story, but I will say that - to my amazement - she survives. Given the places the story goes, that’s not exactly something you expect, especially as fans of the show will be going intoThe First Shadowpresuming she’ll die simply because she isn’t an adult character in the main TV series.
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Netflix/Sonia Friedman Productions
Despite the tensions that arise between the duo as the story grows more grisly, it’s clear that Patty is, before s**t hits the fan, the only person who really treats Henry like, well, a person. It’s why Joyce, Hopper, and Bob - who eventually become caught up in the antics - use Patty as bait to attempt to lure Henry in. You may see where I’m going with this. If Patty is alive and those flickering lights show Henry is still invested in her wellbeing, could it be that she surfaces in season five to help bring him down once and for all?
Netflix/Sonia Friedman Productions
The final element of the story I want to draw in on concerns the Mind Flayer. In episode nine ofStranger Things’ fourth season, Vecna reveals to Eleven what happened after he was originally banished to The Upside Down. “One day, I found the most extraordinary thing of all. Something that would change everything” he relays, as we see Henry come face-to-face with the Mind Flayer for the first time. As he reaches out, he speaks about becoming “the predator I was always meant to be”. It heavily suggests that Henry/Vecna assumed control of the Mind Flayer, thus increasing his power and turning him from a human-looking guy into a slimy tendrilled monster.
Netflix/Sonia Friedman Productions
His transition from Henry to Vecna is because, in my opinion, the Mind Flayer finally succeeded in its plan. When the phrase “the predator I was always meant to be” leaves Vecna’s mouth, that could be the Mind Flayer talking, with his control over Henry finally giving him the vessel he needs to assert domination outside of Dimension X, domination in the ‘normal’ world. Perhaps I’ll be sitting here in one year’s time after season five has aired with the Mind Flayer as its big bad saying, “I told you so”, or perhaps I’m totally wrong. ButThe First Shadowis full of subtle imagery that suggests the shadowy being is the one pulling the strings, so I simply can’t let the idea go.
Stranger Things’ fifth season is finally set to air in 2025, so it won’t be too long until answers come to light. I’ll have fun revisiting these speculative thoughts when it drops - but I think it’s pretty clear which strands of the play are intended to carry on over into the TV show. If I haven’t drilled it in already, do go and watchStranger Things: The First Shadowif you can but if not, I certainly hope I’ve entertained you with a brief glimpse at what’s likely to come.
Stranger Things: The First Shadow is playing now at London’s Phoenix Theatre. It’ll open in New York’s Marquis Theatre in March 2025.
Topics:Stranger Things,Netflix,TV And Film
