Stranger Things – The First Shadow, Phoenix Theatre, London. 07.01.25

I became a Stranger Things fan pretty late into it; at least three series were out before I caught up with the craze. I then binged it, and having desperately waited for Season 5 for what feels like an eternity, plus being a massive theatre fan, I was pretty excited when they announced Stranger Things: The First Shadow was coming to London.

That is, until I saw the cost of the tickets for the initial, limited run. I’m no stranger to theatre ticket costs, but even for me that was a real WOW, and I just couldn’t justify it. Thankfully, they announced an extended run, and the prices seem to come down, so my sister and I booked six months in advance, for early January thinking it might be a bit quieter in that post-Christmas lull.

For those who don’t know much about it, Stranger Things: The First Shadow, is a prequel to the TV series. The story has been written by Kate Trefry, Jack Thorne and original series creators the Duffer brothers. The plot is vaguely summarised on the show’s website (probably to maintain some intrigue!):

Hawkins, 1959: a regular town with regular worries. Young Jim Hopper’s car won’t start, Bob Newby’s sister won’t take his radio show seriously and Joyce Maldonado just wants to graduate and get the hell out of town. When new student Henry Creel arrives, his family finds that a fresh start isn’t so easy… and the shadows of the past have a very long reach.

If you’re a Stranger Things fan, a few of those names will be familiar to you, so I was excited to see what the younger versions of these characters had in store for us.

By the time our visit came round, we had totally forgotten that at the time of booking, we’d decided to be bold and book tickets in the very front row. Perhaps not our wisest choice for a show likely to make us jump…

In that regard, my gut proved right. No sooner was the curtain raised, than a spooky 1943 warship appeared, and smoke billowed off the stage, completely shrouding us, and made even more creepy by the bodiless screams echoing around the stage. I wasn’t sure if it was too early to start regretting our choice.

We fast-forwarded rapidly to where this story is set; 1959 Hawkins. The stage cleverly became an old-style TV, linking you back to the TV series with the familiar theme tune and credits rolling.

Already, the show is a truly immersive experience. The staging, lighting and sound team in this production have excelled; the effects are truly sublime, to the point you could be watching film rather than theatre. Led by a brilliant team of designers – Miriam Buether (set), Jon Clark (lighting), and Paul Arditti (sound) – the creative and production team have created something phenomenal, unlike anything I, and I’m sure many others, have ever seen on stage.

This is complimented by a skilled and cohesive cast, who bring to life this compelling story. There is a mystery to solve – pets around Hawkins are mysteriously dying. Student radio host Bob Newby (Callum Maxwell) enlists the help of a fiery Joyce Maldonado (Jessica Rhodes), who is subverting the school system as director of its latest drama production, and James Hopper Jr (George Smale), who is desperate to get out of his police chief father’s shadow, to investigate what’s going on.

Meanwhile, Bob’s sister Patty (Miranda Mufema) is establishing a friendship/romance with new kid Henry Creel (Louis Healy), unaware of his dark past and potentially sinister powers.

Will it all end in tragedy? Well, you will have to watch it yourself to find out.

What you do discover is how the world of the Upside Down is born, and the experiments that lead us to Eleven. It was like the missing piece of the puzzle falling into place, and you are neatly brought full circle, back to where the TV series begins.

Stranger Things: The First Shadow is indisputably a masterclass in theatre. The special effects are so intense it makes it hard to distinguish whether you are watching a play or part of an immersive experience. The cast expertly bring 1950s Hawkins high school to life; engaging the audience with the trials and tribulations of navigating high school, plus a few additional ones that only belong in your nightmares.

Whilst it is dark and might make your heart race on occasion, it is possibly slightly less ‘jump out of your seat’ scary than I thought it would be, which is probably a good thing if you aren’t a huge horror fan.

Although it is absolutely worth seeing as an incredible piece of theatre, and an absolute must if you are a Stranger Things fan, it might be slightly hard to follow the story if you haven’t watched the TV series, as there’s definitely a level of assumed knowledge expected from the audience.

Stranger Things: The First Shadow is now showing until 7 September 2025. No word yet on whether they will extend it again, so if you don’t want to miss out, you can book your tickets here.