Stranger Sings! (St George's Hall, Bradford, Personal)

 🌟 Stranger Sings! A Parody Musical 🌟

13 January 2024 at 7:30pm at St George's Hall, Bradford

★★

Stranger Sings!, The Parody Musical of the hit Netflix series Stranger Things is out on the road after previously successful runs from London and beyond. With the genre of parody comes this expectation of exaggeration, though for me many moments felt senseless, struggling to get laugh out loud punches. Indeed, the show has its highlights which make me smile with it's childish stupidity of humour, yet a choppy structure and lack of originality didn't give me enough love for this production.

In terms of discovering it's own independent show, this is something where the comedic stylings feel too forced at times. There are plenty of gags to keep Stranger Sings! afloat, but bouncing off some of the TV series' humour falls flat. Yes it is a safe hit for fans, but it's natural to crave uniqueness, and potential to find hilarity in the unexpected. Nor did the timings of these moments impress me. It is known to fans that a lead character sadly lost his child through events ahead of the story. When this is discussed, characters break into song, thus designed to engage audience laughter, doing so for tonight's audience. Yes the story is fiction, though it is handled with an insensitivity, a disrespect for audiences perhaps who may have gone through relatable circumstances. Not all plot points are necessary within this parody. If this should've been included is debateable, rather than turning everything into jest, resulting in a rather uneven pacing.

Regardless, there are enjoyable moments to Stranger Sings!, holding so much nostalgia against the original and nods to the 80s for older audiences than myself. Justin Williams' set design really captures this amalgamation of the decade, which works wonderfully well alongside Clancy Flynn's lighting design to allow a fixed set of Joyce's wrecked home to transform through the Upside Down, and even minimalist woods or Hawkins High School. There is a warmth to this show, I could hear plenty of laughs in the auditorium, even if this style of comedy doesn't necessarily tickle my funny bone.

Where Barb (Philippa Leadbetter) becomes the forgotten character of Stranger Things, Stranger Sings! gives her a legacy, certainly my favourite of the roles where this time, you certainly cannot miss her! Written by Jonathan Hogue, her songs are lyrically engaging and sassy, reclaiming her lost voice and extending the character beyond the linear. Leadbetter has a tremendous charisma and wit, really the star of the evening with such infectious vocals. Olivia Zacharia's musical direction finds a lot of semblance with the sounds we know and love, and I enjoy how Zacharia is briefly included in the action, rather than the usual boundary of actors and orchestra. And it is impossible to miss an oddly seductive dancing Demogorgon, removing the horror to maintain this madness. Shannon Bourne is an extremely talented dancer, reflecting her ability to be hilarious only with body work. I have to admit, it is a weird decision. Though alongside Barb, these two hold the show together, because they are SO drastically juxtaposed to what we know, and this is exactly where the comedy is.

Where these adaptations grasped this theme of the absurd, other characteristics just felt so uncomfortable to watch. Branching from Dr. Brenner's antagonisingly weird gorilla leaps across the stage to an awfully bewildered Jonathan, and even a rather talkative Eleven, these choices are so hard to find the laughter with, crossing the line into the cringe of parody. Nevertheless, Alfie Doohan and Anna Amelia perfect the heightened mannerisms of Steve and Nancy respectively, taking all the small niches of their characters yet perfecting their silliness so that it doesn't become tiring. When strongly related to the hit TV show, I might expect different things to other audience members, but I enjoy the familiarity, rather than the satirical element that somewhat diminishes the original.

Within the parody, you can't expect the plot to maintain a regular beginning to end, though a few scenes, most notably the appearance of Scoops Ahoy left me lost, with wild diversions from the idea of a Season 1 premise. The choreographed work could at times feel hesitant, as I feel the production relies on it's punchlines and character work. However, the multi-rolled casting is immensely impressive, and the attention to detail with characters is very well differentiated.

Directed by Ellis Kerkhoven, Stranger Sings! The Parody Musical is... well... strange. Many times during this high octane show I was left feeling confused and overwhelmed by randomness at it's very limit. Parody certainly has a laxity of this serious 'professionalism', though I wish it could have been handled with more care, opposed to throwing everything at the wall. A mix of trying to cram the whole of Season 1 with the unnecessary additions of a dazzling Winona Ryder number for example, reigning in such energy could really benefit the production. Many fans will undoubtably love the craziness and references to Stranger Things, it leaves more to be desired for me.

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