A parody musical based on the hit Netflix show Stranger Things wowed audiences in Swindon last weekend.
Fellow Adver reporter Dan Wood and I were invited to the showing of Stranger Sings at the Wyvern Theatre on Saturday, January 27.
The live show largely stays true to the original story which is set in the 1980s in the fictional town of Hawkins as a gang of children investigate weird goings on relating to a science plant nearby.
READ MORE: Musical based on Netflix’s Stranger Things coming to Swindon
After arriving at the Wyvern in good time, Dan and I took to our seats and were immediately greeted by the ambience created in the room.
The lights were dimmed with colours of blue and red warning us of the dangers in store from the Upside Down.
Creepy sounds as well as yells from the distance helped set the mood as the audience made their way to their seats.
The set was incredible with the crew having recreated Joyce Byer’s front room on stage decked with the iconic Christmas lights used to contact son Will in the Upside Down.
READ MORE: Stranger Things musical cast to explore Swindon’s history
Props were used effectively, helping the cast create new scenes and locations in a short amount of stage space and time.
The performances and voices of all the cast were brilliant with many amusing songs featured throughout.
One particularly amusing scene was when Joyce broke the fourth wall and sang about the films that real-life actress Winona Ryder has starred in.
Ryder plays Joyce in the original Netflix show and was a fine example of the offbeat humour used by the cast throughout to leave the audience cackling.
Divided into two halves, the musical successfully managed to make the punters laugh whilst also staying true to the story and covering several seasons of the show.
Stranger Sings came to town for a two-night stint after a successful run on off-Broadway and represented a chance for fans to experience Hawkins live in person.
“Take a trip with your favourite gang on a night of indulgent pop culture references, heavy synth, poor parenting, dancing demogorgons and maybe you might find justice for Barb along the way,” said a spokesperson for the musical.
Overall it was a great night out at the Wyvern and a reminder to all that the theatre is very much alive and well as a form of core entertainment despite setbacks in recent years.
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