Karthika
Google
I went to Stranger Things: The First Shadow with very high expectations. I’ve watched the tv show more than 5 times and I’m in love with the world of Stranger Things, so I was excited going in. My friends were on the same boat as me.
The beginning was awesome and especially the ships scene and everything and really pulled me in, but after that it slowly went downhill. The pacing became dull, with long gaps of nothing happening, and it started to feel boring. There was way too much yelling and screaming, especially from Joyce character, which became annoying as hell after a point.
They kept flashing bright lights directly into the audience’s faces, which felt unnecessary and distracting rather than immersive. The show desperately needed to be better sandwiched with exciting moments and a stronger storyline, the way the TV series balances tension, mystery, and emotion.
The jokes mostly fell flat. Many weren’t funny at all, some were just lame, and a few felt awkwardly sexist. And honestly, what was the deal with that random “sexy couple” scene in between? It felt completely out of place and weird, adding nothing to the story. I recently watched the documentary of the making of the broadway show. While I appreciate the effort, I think they tried to fix the problem on surface level with bandages than actually solving the actual issues. I do appreciate the effort, however they didn’t do justice to the actual show. As we went with a group of an actual group of fans, we also think some of the applause was fake. Honestly it didn’t make sense!
The concept had so much potential, but the execution missed the mark. I’m sorry to say this: Actors were very talented but this production seriously needs a brilliant scriptwriter/writers. Period!