'Stranger Things' superfans can't wait for the Broadway show

Broadway is being turned upside down. “Stranger Things: The First Shadow” just began previews ahead of its April 22 opening, and Long Island fans of the television series can’t wait to see the sci-fi saga in a different dimension.

The “Stranger Things” TV show takes place in the 1980s in Hawkins, Indiana, where mysterious — and monstrous — events go down. The play is a prequel set in 1959. It explores the origin of key characters and plot elements, including the Upside Down — a dark and dangerous parallel world — as well as mind control and secret conspiracies.

“We are super excited about the play,” said Matt Bushmann, 38, a telecommunications service provider and sci-fi fan in Coram. He and his wife, Shannon Montalbano, 43, an office manager for New York Health, have watched every episode of the first four seasons and are amped for the fifth set to air this year. They bought tickets in December for themselves and as Christmas presents for three young family members. “The kids love the TV show as much as we do,” he said.

On April 12, the couple and Bushmann’s nephews Max Bochicchio, 17, and his brother, Indy, 12, from Patchogue, and his 13-year-old niece, Alanna DeArellano, from Massachusetts, will all be in their seats at the Marquis Theatre. Look for them in their “Stranger Things” hoodies, another holiday gift to mark the theater experience.

The play premiered in 2023 in London, where it’s still running. For the sake of surprise, Bushmann “didn't do too much ‘R and D,’ ” he said. “I know it’s not a rehashing of the story that we already saw on TV. It’s a new story, so that’s piquing my interest. The biggest thing that I’m excited about is the effects and seeing how they bring the Upside Down to life.”

He’s in good company, beyond a shadow of a doubt. Teens, millennials, Gen Xers and retirees across Long Island all expressed curiosity about how stage magic will enhance the story.

Lauren Bochicchio, 45, Max and Indy’s mother, is among them. She and her sons “have watched every single season together and rewatched several of our favorite scenes,” she said.

Shows that take audiences back to a time in their lives can really strike a chord. “Nostalgia is a powerful drug,” Bochicchio said. She owns Deep End of the Sandbox in Ronkonkoma, a shop specializing in ’80s and ’90s retro merchandise, and speaks with some authority.

Her trip to the Broadway show is in the works. “I'm organizing a group of people through the store to go. I’ve got four so far,” she said. “I love a good prequel. You can keep expanding the universe.”

THE ORIGIN OF A VILLAIN

Kate Trefry, a writer and executive producer of the Netflix series, got the plum assignment to stretch the series from TV to stage. She called “Stranger Things: The First Shadow” a “coming-of-age love story with a supernatural mystery at its core.”

The play is based on an original story by brothers Matt and Ross Duffer, who created the TV show; Jack Thorne, a Tony Award winner for “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child”; and Trefry.

“It’s an origin story of a villain,” Trefry told Newsday. “We follow Henry Creel, who’s recently moved to Hawkins. He’s fleeing some kind of unknown event in Nevada where he grew up. With his arrival comes all kinds of strange occurrences, mysteries and violence.”

Should Broadway audiences brace for telekinesis and unsettling mind games as seen on TV? “Hell, yeah,” said Trefry, adding that the play is a self-contained tale that stands on its own.

That said, a little “Stranger Things” 101 will likely enhance the experience, Trefry acknowledged. “TV fans can catch the Easter eggs in the play. But the show is a huge, wild kind of untamed ride,” she said.

Jared Goerke, 26, fund coordinator for the Scott J. Beigel Memorial Fund, is already buckled in for all of that. He bought tickets for July 20. The show checks a couple boxes for Goerke as a fan of both Broadway and the series.

“I’ve seen every episode of the series,” said Goerke, who lives in Plainview. “The ’80s sci-fi tone and mind-control stuff in the TV show is a lot of fun.”

THE EFFECTS WILL REALLY BE SPECIAL

Goerke’s radar pinged when he read about the play’s London West End run. “Every clip that I’ve seen online looks great,” he said. “I’m looking forward to surprises in the effects and in the story.”

Joan Tannenbaum, a retired lawyer and seasoned theater lover who lives in Manhattan and Long Island, has tickets to see the play in June. Broadway will be her gateway to the “Stranger Things” world.

“The special effects sounded like they would be interesting, so I got tickets,” she said, adding that she might do little homework in advance. “I’m thinking of watching some episodes and trying to get a handle on the basics. Maybe I’ll just look at Wikipedia.”

Justin Bocian, 17, is a senior at Plainview-Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy High School, where he just wrapped his role of William Shakespeare in a production of the musical-comedy “Something Rotten!”

His eyes will be glued to “The First Shadow” in May when he sees the show with his aunt, Stacey Moser, 44, who lives in Queens. His ticket was a Hanukkah present from her. “She’s definitely the cool aunt,” said Justin’s mom, Lorin Bocian, 47, a substance-abuse counselor.

Like others, he’s looking forward to the stunning effects. “Broadway is getting bigger and bigger,” he said. “It's just more crazy, the things they can do with technology, lights and fog and who knows what else.”

The immediate and ephemeral nature of theater makes “Stranger Things: The First Shadow” next-level. “Live theater is just a completely different experience than seeing something on your TV,” said Bocian. “You get a totally different feeling than just sitting in a living room.”