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Stranger Things: The First Shadow London cast & cr...
Step into the upside-down with Stranger Things: The First Shadow—a hau...
4.34 reviews
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0Here’s what we think: Review by Headout
From the first ‘Gizza job’, to the culminating scene that will likely make everyone cry critically acclaimed playwright James Graham's version of the hit series is far from his usual style. With close collaboration alongside the original writer Alan Bleasdale, he takes you on an unexpected journey back to the landmark 1982 TV drama, set in recession-hit Britain. The heart-wrenching tale, of five working-class men living on the edge of distress, is broken apart and reformatted for the stage. Graham cleverly masks their internal struggles with misplaced humor and violent outbursts. His work is fresh, skillful, and unapologetically real. And the resultant production has the qualities of a dramatic period piece, oddly reminiscent of 21st-century London.
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User reviews
Andrzej Lukowski,
Time Out4/5
"How do you adapt one of the all-time great British TV series of the ‘80s for the ‘20s stage? ‘Very respectfully’ is the answer offered by James Graham’s version of Alan Bleasdale’s ‘Boys from the Blackstuff’."
Mark Fisher,
The Guardian4/5
“James Graham’s funny and violent TV adaptation belies a sensitive study of male mental health, as right-wing economics hits a group of road layers’ lives”
Nick Curtis,
The Evening Standard4/5
“This is a blast from the past which still echoes today: flawed but stirring.”
Sarah Hemming,
The Financial Times4/5
"Graham’s version makes plain how this is a story about mental health and male identity as much as economics and politics."
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