Anyone who's visited London or Broadway knows there's only one rule: anything, absolutely anything, can be adapted for the stage. Clueless, Saw, Mean Girls, Disney's Hercules... if it's on screen, it can rock. Just ask our editor, who last year saw Stranger Things: The First Shadow, a play that serves as a prequel to the Netflix series, and whose ideas came from the creators themselves. A result that delighted the audience by remaining faithful to the original show, with pyrotechnics as a bonus, while adding real added value to the story as the viewer knows it.
And if we're telling you this, it's because while we wait to dive back into the adventure of Eleven and her friends, whose return is scheduled for this year on the streaming platform after an incredibly long wait, Netflix has a little bonus treat for us. To celebrate the arrival of Stranger Things – The First Shadow on Broadway, the SVoD service takes us behind the scenes of the play. A good way to get in the mood for season 5, or to recall good memories for those who crossed the Channel during all those weeks when the play was sold out. Is it really worth taking a look? Yes, and let us tell you why, as someone who hasn't seen the aforementioned show.
1 – Stranger Things, from screen to stage
Without seeing the entire final result, we are quickly captivated by these images of a Demogorgon on stage and the characters we know so well, coming back to life through casting phases and then in front of the audience. The presence of the Duffer brothers from the launch of the project is an undeniable advantage so that we can visualize the respect for the basic material. We feel that this is not an ordinary show and that the importance of satisfying the fans of Stranger Things is at the forefront of everyone's objectives, from the producer to the directors, including the writer and the technical team. More than a documentary about the behind-the-scenes of a play, we are faced with a beautiful love letter to what makes the Netflix series successful. All the writing and staging are focused on the need to be faithful to the spirit of Stranger Things by immersing the audience in an experience worthy of the show. From the creation of the special effects to the jump scare scenes integrated into the script, it's sometimes difficult to know if we're watching the behind-the-scenes of First Shadow or a making-of on Stranger Things. of a sinecure and one could even say that the basic idea seems almost impossible. The First Shadow: Behind the Scenes of the Play is above all the story of a Herculean challenge. Whether you are passionate about theater or not, you can't help but be captivated by the number of difficulties encountered by the teams and the solutions found. The narration of the documentary is well done enough to make you feel involved in the story, navigating to the rhythms of their successes and their failures (those damn spiders!).
The documentary dissects the birth of a play, from the transition to the workshop, this place where ideas are born from chaos, to the multiple previews to correct the details (more or less major) before the official opening. We go from surprise to disillusionment, with scripts rewritten 25, 30 times, sometimes the day before for the next day's performance, or technical glitches that strike at the last minute. Right to the end, there's that little taste of "this will never work, it's impossible." Especially since what works once has to be repeated several times a week for months. Like when the twentieth premiere goes off without a hitch, but the twenty-first almost gets canceled. And then that damn first act is too long and that second act is too slow...
3 – Kate Trefry and her sweets
To ensure the fidelity between the play and the series, Kate Trefry, historical screenwriter of Stranger Things, is the one entrusted with writing The First Shadow. And as we told you just above, she had a lot, a lot of work until the last minute, and even after. Enough to provoke our sympathy and our desire to count all the sweets she swallows.
More seriously, the passion that drives the entire team is also one of the good reasons to be tempted by the 90 minutes of Stranger Things – The First Shadow: behind the scenes of the play. Even in the struggle, everyone gets involved and the passion of the young actors (and the pressure) is evident. We have to admit, when the show's actors come to the premiere to greet the rejuvenated version of their characters, it's a little something. Ultimately, it feels a bit like watching an episode of Stranger Things, with an attachment to the plot and the protagonists. A bonus episode before season 5, why deprive yourself?
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