During the opening night of 'Stranger Things: The First Shadow' on Broadway, director Shawn Levy tells THR what he's most excited for fans of the series to experience. Plus, he reflects on the emotional final day on set of 'Stranger Things' season five.
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00:00This is such an exciting night. It's opening night. Have you been able to see it yet in previews or is this the first time?
00:05No, I saw it a bunch of times in England where we've had this really thrilling success and I saw it here in previews maybe a week and a half ago and it's evolved.
00:15I think it's gotten even better in the storytelling and some of the stage effects.
00:21And so even I, who know the show and we've been developing it as a script for years, even I had a few like jumping out of my seat surprise moments.
00:31For fans of the show, what are you really excited for them to witness when they see this unfold on stage?
00:38I think that they're just going to be thrilled. If you're a fan of the show, this is allowing you to connect to the show and to these characters and to the story in a completely new way.
00:46So you're literally, I think it's known that this is sort of prequely and you're meeting some now iconic characters at earlier stages in their life, whether it's Henry Creel or Hopper and Joyce.
00:59And so you're getting, frankly, a new and more empathetic connection with these characters that you love but are now going to understand even more because you're going to see them and see what they were like and what they were struggling with earlier in their lives.
01:13So that's, for me even, I will tell you, seeing this production in London made me a better director on the final season because I came back to these characters with a deeper empathy and understanding for them.
01:28So it's all connected.
01:30Well, the production of this was also coinciding with the production of season five.
01:34So I wanted to ask, was one influential in the other?
01:39Was the production of this influential in how season five unfolded and vice versa?
01:42Yeah, I mean, you'll see when you see season five, having seen this show, there's definitely a connectivity between season five and the canon and storytelling and what's on stage.
01:55And so the story informed in sort of a circular loop to make sure all the pieces fit.
02:00But as I said, I think for us directing and producing the show, it made us return to season five with a deeper understanding of these iconic characters that the play sort of unpacks those characters in a deeper way.
02:16Well, speaking of season five, I know a lot of people excited.
02:19We don't know when exactly it's going to come out.
02:21I know, nobody knows still.
02:22How would you describe that final day on set?
02:28It was as emotional as you can imagine and maybe more emotional than you've heard.
02:33It was so, it was happy.
02:35It was a relief because it's been a long haul and season five was a beast.
02:38It took a year just to film season five.
02:42There were strikes, there were shutdowns, but it was also goodbye.
02:45And it was not goodbye to each other because many of us will stay friends and stay connected, but goodbye to these stories, goodbye to Hawkins.
02:55And we all sort of at that last day, at that last table read, we sort of knew that this was the end of a chapter.
03:02We might all go on to great successful experiences, but you're lucky if you get one stranger things in your life.
03:09And that'll never happen again.
03:11And I think we all know it and we all cherish it.
03:13And finally, if you can give us a good tease on what fans can feel after watching this final season.
03:21The show? The play.
03:22I just think whatever your idea of stage theater is, throw it out.
03:27Because this is like, takes a grenade and throws it into all your assumptions of what theater is.
03:34The stage effects, the stage magic, the sound and visual design is so next level that it's electric.
03:42Now what about the final season?
03:43Same, but also, if possible, even more deeply emotional.
03:49Same, but also, if possible, even more deeply emotional.