The stars of the Broadway blockbuster, „The First Shadow,“ told UPI they focus on the humanity even more than the horror for the „Stranger Things“ prequel play.
27 Burke Swanson and Alison Jaye say they focused on the humanity even more than the horror when playing teen versions of Hopper and Joyce in Broadway’s blockbuster Stranger Things prequel, The First Shadow.
Penned by Kate Trefry and directed by Stephen Daldry, the supernatural stage play takes place in the 1950s, in the fictional town of Hawkins, Ind., and offers origins stories for the beloved grown-ups — and terrifying uber-villain Vecna/Henry Creel — from the 1980s-set Netflix TV show.
„Within the spooky, sci-fi nature of it all, there are real humans trying to figure themselves out and figure out what their community’s like“, Swanson told UPI in a recent Zoom interview.
Even before Henry (Louis McCartney) arrives and unwittingly turns the town upside-down, Hopper and his classmates Bob Newby (Patrick Scott McDermott) and his adopted sister Patty (Gabrielle Nevaeh) are dealing with parent-related tension and trauma.
„What was so special to me is that it wasn’t shying away from those stories“, Swanson said. „It’s a big thing that we’re doing here. There’s a lot to tell and it almost doesn’t fit within one show, but there’s a willingness to explore not only the father-kid relationships, but the mother-kid relationships and how each different dynamic is processed.“
Patty’s outsider status leads her into danger because the only person she feels connected to is Henry.
„Patty has really been pushed to the side, not only within the community, but also within her family“, Swanson said.
„Bob did not support Patty in a way that she needed and she comes into her own as this really incredible, strong female lead“, he added. „He gets this really powerful moment just to acknowledge, ‚I messed up and i want to do better.‘ And I think those moments — even within the sort of ‚Mind Flayer‘ of it all — are the things that really push us forward through that story.
