Hawkins, 1959: a regular town with regular worries. But when new student Henry Creel arrives, things take a sinister turn… Winner of Best New Play (WhatsOnStage Awards) and two Olivier Awards, this "breath-taking" (The Guardian) show takes theatrical storytelling and stagecraft to a whole new dimension.
This week, we sat down with Christopher Buckley who plays Bob Newby in this exhilarating prequel to the iconic Stranger Things TV series. We talk all things Stranger Things, tech, and crop rotation...
Check out our conversation below, and book your tickets today.
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Can you tell us a bit more about the character you play in Stranger Things: The First Shadow?
Christopher: Bob Newby is a tech nerd from the 1950s. He's a very sweet, lovable boy who is just trying to find acceptance and a place for himself within Hawkins, Indiana. He lives in a time where being a nerd isn't cool and he's seen as quite an oddity, a bit of a social outcast. Throughout the show, you see him change from a young man who is deeply infatuated with Joyce Maldonado to then realizing that the most important thing that he has is family, which is falling apart around him.
I adore Bob. We're very similar! I hope audiences will fall in love with him as much as I have.
Stranger Things the TV series is obviously incredibly popular worldwide. Was it daunting to take on a role that people already know? Did it affect your approach to playing the character?
Christopher: Initially, it was quite daunting, As Stranger Things is such an enormous cultural phenomenon, you really want to do justice to these characters. Luckily, with our creative team, it was a very easy process. We were encouraged not to perform impersonations of the already established characters but to find our own way to discover how they become the people we know and love from the TV series. For me, that involved a re-watch of Season 2 to see what Bob is like and analyse his characteristics that I could use throughout the show.
What has been your favourite part of the rehearsal process/performing in the show so far?
Christopher: My favourite part has been getting the chance to work with this amazing company of actors and creatives! The creatives behind this show are just exceptional. From behind the lighting desk to the directing team, they’re all amazing!
This cast is also exceptional. Getting to share a space with them every night is such a joy. There's always a sense of exploration, creativity, and freedom that I think would be very hard to find in any other show on the West End.
Bob Newby is a self-proclaimed gadget king (and amateur DJ) in Stranger Things: The First Shadow. If Bob could invent any kind of gadget in the present day, what would he create and why?
Christopher: I think Bob would be very interested in this new world of AI. But as he is so selfless, I think he would be looking for how the technology can benefit his wider community. I think as Indiana is a farming state, he would make an AI scanner with a sampler for soil that could predict an optimum crop rotation for farmers.
Without giving any spoilers for people who haven’t seen the show, do you have a favourite moment or line in the show?
Christopher: I have a favourite moment and a favourite line! For the moment, there is a sequence towards the end of Act One where three storylines converge. A lie is exposed, a family needs to be saved, and three kids go on a quest to explore spooky goings-on. I can’t tell you much more than that as it would spoil the show, but it’s a visually amazing sequence.
My favourite line is delivered by Charles Sinclair, who is played by the wonderful Ammar Duffus:
‘It was probably a lynx…’
I don't know why, but the way it is delivered and the moment it is said is so funny yet very sincere that it gets me every time.
And finally, describe Stranger Things: The First Shadow in 3 words.
Christopher: Exhilarating. Scary. Heartfelt.
Book your tickets now for "the West End theatre event of the year" (Daily Telegraph)
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