London Theatre: Stranger Things: The First Shadow

Cancelled performance 20 minutes prior to it starting - Would've expected alternative cast members could fulfil the role that had unfortunately taken ill.

On our visit it was 35 degrees and no airconditioning. My partner and I have long legs, so we could not sit normal. We left after the first half, because we were in pain. The show itself was pretty cool (the part that we saw), with special effects and the actors gave a 100% in the heat. Nothing bad to say about the show itself, but the theatre is not one I will visit again.

We attended Stranger Things: The First Shadow at the Phoenix Theatre and came away with mixed feelings. Starting with the show itself, it is a good production overall with some genuinely impressive and memorable special effects. A few moments are genuinely jaw-dropping and showcase the creativity behind the production. In hindsight, however, we would have liked more of those effects, as they were the clear highlights of the evening. Where the experience falls down is the theatre itself. The Phoenix Theatre feels too small for a production of this scale and popularity. The seating is extremely cramped and became uncomfortable after around 75 minutes. The toilet facilities were small, not particularly clean, and generated long queues both before the performance and during the interval. We also purchased the Priority Package, which proved to be a complete waste of money. In our view, it adds very little value and feels more like a cash grab than a premium experience. The basement hospitality area was underwhelming, and staff struggled to make some of the cocktails being offered. Meanwhile, the main bar was overwhelmed, with huge queues and insufficient time before the show or during the interval to comfortably get served. The merchandise operation was equally frustrating, with just a single staff member serving a large queue, leading to lengthy delays. Our advice would be simple: enjoy the show, but eat and drink elsewhere, skip the Priority Package, and be prepared for a venue that struggles to cope with the demand generated by such a popular production. The show itself is worth seeing, but the overall theatre experience falls well short of the standard you might expect for a West End production of this calibre.

I absolutely loved the play, it brought characters who we knew from the show to a whole new perspective seeing them when they were younger and the special effects shocked me. It felt like it had a bit of everything for anyone so i would recommended to anyone.

Save your money, please do not put yourself through this. Mind numbingly boring performance with unnecessarily loud sounds throughout such that I was sure my ear drum would burst. I fell asleep twice, checked my watch 20 times, and the highlight of the run time was the interval. We spent three quarters of the performance expecting it to pick up - it did not, the story line was confusing to follow unless you were properly concentrating. With 30 minutes to go we soon realised that the performance was just becoming a punishment at this point and we just could not continue. What was intended as a parents day out led to us leaving the show early to go for a spot of shopping and early dinner instead. As a prequel to the Stranger Things TV program, this theatrical performance could easily put someone off of watching the TV program entirely. It does no justice to the Stranger Things franchise and I cannot understand how people have given it a 5 star rating. I am a fan of the show and would never recommend this to anyone. A terrible waste of money in a tough and struggling economy. 1 star given for a fairly nice cappuccino and cookie.

Yes, some great effects and I can't fault the actors. However, the promise of the first 10 minutes doesn't follow-through and you're left with a basic 1950s high-school based drama that is quite frankly flat in parts. For some reason Hopper has morphed into Kenickie from Grease and there's confusion around certain characters ages/experiences not matching up with the show at all - which is a distraction. Not exciting enough, not fun enough and not Stranger Things enough, sadly.

Wow what a show, amazing special effects that make you jump out of your skin! The cast are incredible and you quickly realise that this is a prequel to the tv show however you really need to be a fan otherwise you won’t have a clue what’s going it’s not for non fans. The staging is slick and the show moves at a good pace not dwelling too long on anyone aspect. The choreography is superb. I would caution taking anyone under 14 as some of the language is fruity at times and it could be frightening for younger children. It has several very loud bangs and small explosions. The phoenix threatre is very old and you have to make allowances for the fact that this is a Victorian building it is cramped and the gangways and seats are small in comparison to modern buildings how ever this does add to the atmosphere. The view from the grand circle was good and you only missed a very small bit of the show when the actors walk into the stalls but this is not an issue. Overall amazing.

I would not recommend this show even to die hard fans of the series It offers nothing new and is quite slow and boring. The plot is non existent. Some of the stage effects are superb but that's not enough to drag the story. There just seems to be the assumption that constantly pointing out characters who are the parents of all the TV characters will make us all nostalgic. I also don't understand how Hopper, Bob, Joyce et al will have had a pretty memorable encounter with Henry in their school years but then have no recollection of him in later years. I believe this show is ending soon and I can see why.

This production was phenominal! I'm not a Stranger Things fan but I didnt need to be. The stage effects were magnificent. I took my 8 year old grandaughter for her birthday as she is a massive fan and it completely blew her away. Despite a technical hitch about 45 minutes in I cannot fault this show and highly recommend it. Everything about it was hugely entertaining. A big shout out to the actor who played Henry Creel, what an incredibly outstanding performance!! The overall production was hugely entertaining (even to a non-fan) and my granddaughter talked about it for days! Theatre at it's finest :)

What a show! This was an incredible performance from start to finish. The staging, acting, lighting, sound and everything in-between were superb, and throughout the show the audience were fully engaged. My wife and I particularly enjoyed the transition between "reality" and the Upside Down, as it created a clever juxtaposition. We are avid fans of the Stranger Things Netflix series, and the moment where the theme tune was played really kicked things off. We also loved the nods to the series through the use of the "Chapter" elements. There was clever use of media throughout and a real shift in tone between scenes which came across as pleasingly jarring, to really add to the overall effect. There were several points where we had no idea how certain special effects were done - truly mind-blowing! Within the Dress Circle, we had a perfect view of everything and we are glad that we prompted for this position in the theatre. As to the comments others have made regarding the theatre, we found it to be more than adequate, especially when you consider the age of the theatre itself. However, this does not relate to the amazing performance, so I will not comment any further here. Overall we would highly recommend the show. I was a little apprehensive about how the TV show was going to be transitioned into a theatre production, but in hindsight I needn't have worried - it was incredible! From the beginning, it set a high bar and it is difficult to imagine shows other than Stranger Things reaching these heights, given the ability and slickness of the performance, and the mesmerizing technical abilities and feats on show.