"Stranger Things" Heads to Broadway

 

by Pa Rock

Theatre Fan

Theatre productions have a long history of making their way into film:  Oklahoma!, South Pacific, My Fair Lady, The Sound of Music, and West Side Story being just a few examples, but the return process of a film making its way to the stage is much more rare.  And the notion of a television show elbowing its way onto the professional stage is certainly a unique occurrence, but that is exactly what is happening next month as the hit Netflix series, Stranger Things, opens a run on Broadway.

 

The play, Stranger Things:  The Firxt Shadow, was written by Kate Trefry and is based on the television work of the Duffer Brothers, Jack Thorne, and Kate Trefry.  The director of the Broadway production is Stephen Daldry with Justin Martin as the co-director.

Stranger Things:  The First Shadow, an Olivier Award-winning play, will have its preview performances, both of which are already sold out, on March 28th and 29th at the Marquis Theatre on 46th Street.  The play, which has won an Olivier Award for "Best Entertainment," is set in the same universe as the original television show and involves some of the same characters, but none of the actual television series actors are in the production.  It is a prequel to the story that was presented on Netflix, and is set 24 years before the first season of the show.

The stage version of Stranger Things is geared toward an adult audience with it being recommended for ages 12 and up, with  anyone under the age of 16 being required to be accompanied by a parent, and children under 5 not being admitted.  It has trigger warnings which include:  gunfire audio, loud noises and explosions, haze and smoke, flashing lights, strobe lights, and strong language.

I enjoyed the television episodes immensely and I know that at least some of my grandchildren did also.  It was a unique experience to have something in common with them.  (At one point granddaughter Olive and her friends each adopted and channelled characters from the show.  Olive assumed the identity of Max.  I never got that far into it - I guess I am just old!)

But I'm not too old to enjoy a really good stage production if I get the opportunity.  Break a leg, New York cast, and have a great run!