Review: STRANGER SINGS! THE PARODY MUSICAL

Reviewed by: Brad Filicky

Written by: Jonathan Hogue

Directed by: Nick Flatto

Starring: Jamir Brown, Jeremiah Garcia, Caroline Huerta, Jeffrey Laughrun, Kyle Mangold, Harley Seger, Nickolaus Colon, SLee

Synopsis: Stranger Sings! is a parody musical of the first season (with a bit of the other seasons peppered in) of Stranger Things, the hit Netflix series. Lucas, Dustin, and Mike are looking for their friend Will who disappeared after a game of D&D. Meanwhile, high schoolers Jonathan (Will's brother), Nancy (Mike's sister), Barb, and Steve are dealing with hormones and the ever increasing feeling that something "strange" is going on. Will's mom Joyce seeks help from local town cop Hopper to help her look for her missing son. Add to this the mysterious girl Eleven who the boys find in the woods. Where exactly is Will? Why does Eleven have powers? Will Barb get justice? Well, you'll just have to watch to find out.

I knew walking into the theater that I was in for something special. Playhouse 46 is a small space, but the production team did a great job of making it an immersive experience. 80s nostalgia graced the walls and the theater entrance was set up to simulate you walking into the Upside Down.

Then the show started. Each cast member plays different roles, and poor Will is a... puppet (yes, you read that right, and boy, does it work). You might think that seeing the same actor play different roles would be distracting, but I had no problem suspending disbelief. Why? Because the cast had such great chemistry that they sucked me in from the start. You can just tell that these actors are close and hang out after the show every night. I left the show wanting to be their friends. I was trying to pick a favorite cast member, but couldn't. Another plus is that it was quite obvious they love the show they are parodying. 

Another stand out thing about this production was how the director, Nick Flatto, utilized the space. The theater is in the round, and pretty small, so by its nature the audience is going to feel like a part of the production. The actors use this to their advantage, running around the space and interacting with the audience.

The show also does a great job of fitting as much as they can from the first season in a two hour runtime. That's a testament to great writing. Another great aspect of that writing? The show was legitimately funny.

 

Nothing is ever perfect. The music itself could have been influenced a little more by 80s "Broadway" music. Honestly though, the lyrics are funny enough that it was pretty easy to look past.

If you are a fan of the show, or musicals in general I cant recommend this enough. The cast, the theater space, the source material, the smart writing... It's no wonder it got extended to April 30th! So, if you're in the NYC area, be sure to check out Stranger Sings!

 

Brad's Score: 8/10