Is Stranger Things on Broadway Appropriate for Kids?

I got tickets to Stranger Things: The First Shadow with the assumption that that the special effects would be great, but that the show itself would be meh. Boy, was I wrong! Not about the special effects – they were spectacular – all 60 of them (not that I counted). The rest of the show was engaging, in keeping with the nature of the Netflix show (horror yet somewhat dorky), and it drew you in. Is Stranger Things on Broadway appropriate for kids? That depends on your kids, and we’ll cover that later in the review.

The curtain before the show starts. Copyright Deborah Abrams Kaplan

The plot of Stranger Things on Broadway

This is a prequel to the Netflix show, going back to when Joyce was in high school, along with Jim Hopper. The story follows Henry Creel and his family (but mostly Henry) as the family moves to Hawkins, Indiana for a fresh start after Henry caused some trouble. He is a “weirdo” at school and the one friendship developed is Patty Newby (Bob Newby’s sister – if you’ve seen the show). Henry, who appears to be on the autism spectrum, continues experiencing disturbing visions and special powers, which wreck havoc on him and others. It’s not a spoiler that he’s going to turn dark.

The special effects of Stranger Things on Broadway

I’ll start out by saying the 2025 Tony Awards is giving Stranger Things a special Tony Award for illusions and technical effects. There’s no competition – it’s a done deal for that award. And it’s well deserved. The same people behind the special effects at Harry Potter and the Cursed Child are behind these. I went down a rabbit hole reading about the making of these special effects. Here are a few links about them, though you may want to read these AFTER seeing the show.

Outside the Stranger Things theater. Copyright Deborah Abrams Kaplan

The Los Angeles Times wrote a feature on designing illusions for both Stranger Things and Harry Potter.

How Stranger Things brought the Mind Flayer to life, from Variety.

Enter the show through this house. Copyright Deborah Abrams Kaplan

The Tony Award nominations

The show garnered 6 Tony nominations, including best performance by an actor in a leading role in a play (Louis McCartney, who plays Henry Creel), best scenic design of a play, best costume design of a play, best lighting design of a play, best sound design of a play, and a special Tony Award for illusions/technical effects. You can see that they were not awarded for the best play, but that’s okay. The categories they’re nominated for they could easily win (though I’ve not seen the competitor shows – but I can’t imagine their sound/lighting or scenic design was any better. Costumes? Well, they may not win that one).

Best actor: Louis McCartney is definitely a contender, though he’s up against George Clooney and Cole Escola (who was excellent on Oh, Mary! But the Stranger Things role was much more challenging than Oh, Mary!, I’d argue. I can’t speak to the other actors in that category).

This is being posted before the awards, so I’ll update it after.

Should you see Stranger Things on Broadway if you haven’t seen the Netflix series?

I’ve seen the series, so I’m not naïve to the show or the concepts. Given that it’s a prequel, though, I think the audience will get a lot from the show, while missing some of the finer points, like recognizing some of the characters in their younger years and knowing what’s to come later. The plot is easy enough to understand (as compared to the Netflix show, which I think is super complicated). The production value is also so spectacular that anyone can appreciate that.