STRANGER THINGS: THE FIRST SHADOW Reviews- Page 3

[verywellthensigh]

Posted: 5/2/25 at 10:02am

Well Broadway doesn't go for empty spectacle and cheap fan service...now get outta my way, I got a man waitin' for me. 



 

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 5/2/25 at 10:08am

I still think they should split the Tony’s best play award between best play(script) and best play(production). It’s already that way for musicals.

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 5/2/25 at 10:27am

verywellthensigh said: "Well Broadway doesn't go for empty spectacle and cheap fan service...now get outta my way, I got a man waitin' for me.



 

You know how bitchy Demogorgons can be.

 

[1 Minute Critic]

Posted: 5/5/25 at 1:21pm

"Stranger Things: The First Shadow" ranks up there with "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" and "King Kong" as a blatant IP money grab. Doesn't matter if you've seen the series or not, the play is an alternate universe best avoided. Here's my full take in a hot minute. 
 

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 5/5/25 at 3:07pm

Skip23 said: 
Well, then somebody should’ve told me before I went in. I figured that the show itself would give me all the information I needed. Not that I needed a 50 hour study course before buying a ticket, "

Thank you for the laughter, you made my day. And you thinking that somehow you'd get this without watching the very creative and fun series that has been available to you since 2016? FAFO.

[Matt Rogers]

Posted: 5/5/25 at 6:52pm

Sutton Ross said: "Skip23 said:
Well, then somebody should’ve told me before I went in. I figured that the show itself would give me all the information I needed. Not that I needed a 50 hour study course before buying a ticket, "

Thank you for the laughter, you made my day. And you thinking that somehow you'd get this without watching the very creative and fun series that has been available to you since 2016? FAFO."

The play is a PREQUEL, sweetie. You do not need to have seen the series to understand the play and countless people all over the internet agree. But keep condescending to everyone on here so everyone sees exactly what you are. 

[BroadwayNYC2]

Posted: 5/5/25 at 7:23pm

Prequel doesn’t mean “I’ll be okay if I don’t understand the lore because it takes place before.” If anything, prequels notoriously go deeper into the lore and explain it further. 

[Matt Rogers]

Posted: 5/5/25 at 7:33pm

BroadwayNYC2 said: "Prequel doesn’t mean “I’ll be okay if I don’t understand the lore because it takes place before.” If anything, prequels notoriously go deeper into the lore and explain it further."

I saw it without being an expert on the series and I understood the entire thing perfectly. I may not have gotten a few of the Easter eggs but it was very easy to follow. Sutton Ross has no clue what she is talking about, as always. 

[uncageg]

Posted: 5/5/25 at 7:44pm

I think it would help to know something about the series because the play is both a Prequel and an Origin Story. For those who watch the show, we know who Henry Creel is and the play is also his origin story as well as a prequel to the events in the series.

[Matt Rogers]

Posted: 5/5/25 at 7:48pm

uncageg said: "I think it would help to know something about the series because the play is both a Prequel and an Origin Story. For those who watch the show, we know who Henry Creel is and the play is also his origin story as well as a prequel to the events in the series."

Yeah that’s fine but it also works as a stand alone play for the uninitiated. 

[James885]

Posted: 5/5/25 at 7:58pm

I'm interested to see the staying power of this one. Stranger Things is definitely a cultural phenom, although certainly not on the level of say, Harry Potter or Spider-Man. As someone who was kinda meh on the most recent season three (?!) years ago, the story doesn't sound like it's the most engaging. But this seems like if nothing else, it's an entertaining spectacle.

[GoldenGiggery]

Posted: 5/5/25 at 8:37pm

It will never happen, but I'd love for Stranger Things to transfer to the Lyric, to push Harry Potter out. 

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 5/5/25 at 8:41pm

GoldenGiggery said: "It will never happen, but I'd love for Stranger Things to transfer to the Lyric, to push Harry Potter out."


why

[GoldenGiggery]

Posted: 5/5/25 at 8:48pm

You'd cut off another of Joanne Rowling's money sources, and use the Lyric for another spectacle show, that could also fully outfit a theatre and audience of that scope. 

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 5/5/25 at 9:04pm

Her money sources? She’s a billionaire. Her Broadway show is pocket change in her fortune. She’s evil, I agree. But at least the show is employing people in the theatre community.

[1 Minute Critic]

Posted: 5/5/25 at 9:10pm

What an upside-downer! Did anyone else find it impossible to follow, regardless of whether or not you've watched the Netflix series? Full review on 1 Minute Critic here! ⏰ 

[uncageg]

Posted: 5/6/25 at 12:30am

Matt Rogers said: "uncageg said: "I think it would help to know something about the series because the play is both a Prequel and an Origin Story. For those who watch the show, we know who Henry Creel is and the play is also his origin story as well as a prequel to the events in the series."

Yeah that’s fine but it also works as a stand alone play for the uninitiated."

 

My point was kind of that it is evident that it doesn't work as a stand alone play for everyone. I have two friends that do not watch the series but saw the play. They called me confused but said it made them want to watch the series to understand what they saw in the theater.

 

Updated On: 5/6/25 at 12:30 AM

[gibsons2]

Posted: 5/6/25 at 6:31am

1 Minute Critic said: "What an upside-downer! Did anyone else find it impossible to follow, regardless of whether or not you've watched the Netflix series? Full review on 1 Minute Critic here! ⏰

"

No, just you. Give it up. Nobody wants to read your review

[DaveyG]

Posted: 5/6/25 at 10:31am

I'm shocked this isn't selling better. Tons of empty seats this week. 

[BroadwayLuv2]

Posted: 5/6/25 at 4:31pm

DaveyG said: "I'm shocked this isn't selling better. Tons of empty seats this week."

Anyone know of any discount codes for this? Any info on how easy or difficult rush is and where seats are located? 

[the.hard.part]

Posted: 5/6/25 at 4:42pm

Not rush but lotto, my husband and I both won for the Sun matinee, the pair we purchased ended up being side Orch row D

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 5/6/25 at 5:23pm

uncageg said: "Matt Rogers said: "uncageg said: "I think it would help to know something about the series because the play is both a Prequel and an Origin Story. For those who watch the show, we know who Henry Creel is and the play is also his origin story as well as a prequel to the events in the series."

Yeah that’s fine but it also works as a stand alone play for the uninitiated."



My point was kind of that it is evident that it doesn't work as a stand alone play for everyone. I have two friends that do not watch the series but saw the play. They called me confused but said it made them want to watch the series to understand what they saw in the theater.”

 

 

No one reads or watches the prequel of anything first, let’s be real. You might be able to keep up well enough but the whole point of a prequel is to elevate and deepen the existing material, not that this play succeeds in doing that.

 

[veronicamae]

Posted: 5/9/25 at 12:15am

Saw this tonight thanks to TDF. 11th row on the center aisle. A $55 steal.

I love the series. I knew it was a prequel. But, I did not remember everything of the series because Season 1 was 9? years ago. But that didn't impact my ability to follow the story, and it was fun being reminded of things.

The SFX were all pretty cool, and I'm sure it's been said earlier in this thread (which I have not read due to not wanting spoilers), but reminded me a lot of Cursed Child's SFX. That's not a bad thing - I just wasn't as wowed as I think most of the tourist audience was. Perhaps I'm jaded. But it WAS cool.

As for the story itself, much of it was a bore with weirdly aggressive (as in, number of words spoken) writing and a cast that was usually shouting their lines on stage. I'm not sure who in the show is actually young or just playing young but some of those actors...were tough to listen to. 

I'm happy to have seen it, though, for the general story (not the random school musical plot within the plot), visuals, and jump scares.

[1 Minute Critic]

Posted: 5/9/25 at 5:24pm

What an upside-downer! I've watched the series, and it still didn't make sense. Here's my take for 1 Minute Critic. 

[veronicamae]

Posted: 5/9/25 at 6:04pm

1 Minute Critic said: "What an upside-downer! I've watched the series, and itstilldidn't make sense. Here's my takefor 1 Minute Critic."

Dude can you stop