Stranger Things: The First Shadow left me shaking for days

Stranger Things: The First Shadow is genuinely unbelievable (Picture: Michael Harlan)

Stranger Things on London’s West End? Even as a fan of the TV show I can’t say I was immediately sold on the idea.

When I’ve been continually disappointed by spin-offs milking the cash cow of huge TV successes such as Game of Thrones or The Walking Dead I didn’t feel compelled to spend three hours watching Stranger Things on stage and pay London theatre prices for the privilege.

After the opening five minutes of The First Shadow, however, I turned to my partner who, just like me, had his mouth wide open and we both gasped: ‘Wow.’

The First Shadow is quite literally unbelievable. There were few moments throughout when I wasn’t completely breath-taken, rendered speechless as though I watching a blockbuster movie unfolding just a mere few feet away from me.

If you haven’t seen Stranger Things, The First Shadow won’t be any less impressive for you than it was for me.

I’m a fan, yes, but should I be your phone a friend if you were stuck on a Stranger Things question? Absolutely not.

SLouis McCartney is extraordinary as Henry Creel in The First Shadow (Picture: Manuel Harlan)

Set in 1959, almost 30 years before the events of Stranger Things season one, a group of teenagers become suspicious when various pets around the town of Hawkins are brutally killed.

Enter schoolmates Jim Hopper and Joyce, played by David Harbour and Winona Ryder as adults in the TV series, who investigate.

It transpires there is a supernatural presence plaguing the town, evil forces at play and there could be cataclysmic repercussions not just for Hawkins but the world.

The cast is lead by the incredibly impressive Louis McCartney, who stars as Henry Creel, a clearly troubled new kid on the block overprotected by his petrified mother.

Henry catches the eye of Patty Newby, the adopted daughter of the high school principle, and their chemistry is immediately picked up by Joyce who casts them as the leads in the school play.

The First Shadow features young Stranger Things favourites Joyce (left) and Hopper (right): (Picture: Manuel Harlan)

The First Shadow lines up the events of the Netflix series (Picture: Manual Harlan)

It soon becomes clear why Henry’s mother is so terrified of her own son and anyone who has watched season 4 of Stranger Things will know what eventually became of him and his pivotal role in the events of the show.

McCartney’s performance is quite extraordinary. One of the most physical demanding roles I’ve seen on stage, he is completely captivating the entire time and is at the centre of mesmerising stunts I still can’t get my head around days later.

Weaved into the horror is laugh out loud comedy from other young cast members, most notably Oscar Lloyd and Isabella Pappas as young Hopper and Joyce, two infatuated teens kept apart by stubbornness (and a potential apocalypse).

But there isn’t a single moment or performance which didn’t completely bowl me over from start to finish.

Despite three hours in a painfully uncomfortable seat and being out far past my bedtime, I just wanted more and on the way home was already on the hunt for friends to join me for a second or even third trip.

The First Shadow completely redefines what theatre has been and can be; it genuinely has to be seen to be believed whether you know everything there is to know about Stranger Things or this is your first time dipping your toe into the retro-horror created by brothers Matt and Ross Duffer.

I’ve had several days to process what I witnessed at the Phoenix Theatre and I still shake with excitement when thinking about it.

Stranger Things: The First Shadow is at the Phoenix Theatre, booking until Jun 30 2023.

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Stranger Things: The First Shadow completely redefines what theatre can be.