Review: STRANGER SINGS, THE PARODY MUSICAL at The Black Box

But on the upside, there is always Hawkins, Indiana, nothing strange ever happens there. Unless you are in the upside/down and Hawkins is inside The Black Box, for Padgett Productions' phenomenal Kansas City premiere of STRANGER SINGS, THE PARODY MUSICAL. STRANGER SINGS, THE PARODY MUSICAL, with book, music, and lyrics by Jonathan Hogue, runs through April 28 at The Black Box located in the West Bottoms Entertainment District of Kansas City, MO. You should see this hysterical stage production at The Black Box before it becomes a cult classic and is turned into a movie. 

Kansas City is the only location outside of New York, the United Kingdom, or Australia to produce the musical parody of Stranger Things, a Netflix original series, which takes place in Hawkins, Indiana. Mike, Lucas, and Dustin are teenagers who discover their friend Will is missing. They go into the woods to find him but instead come across Eleven, a teenage girl who has run away from Papa and the other mad –scientists who are performing experiments on her. In the Netflix series, Will is a real boy, but not so much in STRANGER SINGS. 

Nick Padgett, the Producing Artistic Director, brilliantly brings his campy sense of humor to the immersive experience of STRANGER SINGS. Direction and production design are by Katie Gilchrist and. Nick Padgett, transforming The Black Box into a magical intimate setting with music directed by Tim Braselton. Gilchrist appears on stage as Joyce, Will, and AD. Her directing credits include UMKC, Fishtank Theatre, Unicorn Theatre, and Padgett Productions STEEL MAGNOLIAS, winning the 2023 Broadway World Kansas City Award for Best Direction of a Play (Professional). Besides his stage productions in Kansas City, Padgett has been busy on Broadway in New York co-producing with Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman HARMONY and is currently co-producing with Hillary Rodman Clinton and Malala Yousafzai, SUFFS.  

Lacy Goettling takes on her first multiple principal character role as Nancy, Eleven, and Others. Having seen her numerous times, I feel she has all the ingredients to make her a successful actor. Facial expressions that you can feel, a beautiful voice, dancing, and a magnificent stage presence. She has previously appeared in several Padgett productions, in FREAKY FRIDAY at the New Theatre and Restaurant, 4,000 MILES at the Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre, and in HEATHERS at the Faust Theatre, among others. 

Weston Thomas appears as Mike, Lucas Lowry as Lucas/Demogorgon/Erica/Eight, and Franci Talamantez-Witte stars as Dustin and Others and is the dance captain. All three gave outstanding performances, creating an abundance of energy on stage between themselves, the other actors, and the audience. Their characters come to life with a strong resemblance to the same characters as seen in the Netflix series. Thomas and Lowry are making their debut with Padgett Productions and Talamantez-Witte is in her second production with Padgett. Rounding out the superb cast are Alec Bridges as Steve/Jonathan/Others, Nick Uthoff as Hopper/Others, and Cori Anne Weber as Barb.  

STRANGER SINGS, THE PARODY MUSICAL continues at the Black Box through April 28. The show is suitable for younger audiences and tickets may be purchased at the button below.  

Photos courtesy of Padgett Productions 

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