Brisbane review - Stranger Sings! The Parody Musical: a hilarious spoof parody
- Eric scott
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
By David Wilson
Book, music and lyrics by Jonathan Hogue
Directed by Kristen Barros https://millennialprod.sales.ticketsearch.com
Musical Direction by Victoria Keomahavong
Choreography by Jess Brisk
Brought to you by Millennial Productions
At Ron Hurley Theatre
19 - 26 April 2025
Adult tickets $40
Stranger Sings! The Musical Parody is a hilarious spoof parody of the hugely popular Netflix series Stranger Things. This popular and award winning off-broadway musical is genuinely funny, and will not only appeal to fans of Stranger Things, but also to lovers of the ‘80s, pop culture and musical comedies in general. In fact one of our companions on opening night absolutely loved the performance despite having not watched the series!
Millennial Productions has done a wonderful job of transporting the audience back to Hawkins, Indiana 1983, when times were simpler, hair was bigger, and unsupervised children were getting snatched by inter-dimensional creatures. Stranger Sings! is a hilarious, nostalgic, ‘upside-down’ take on the hit series in all its campy ‘80s glory!
All of the characters that we have come to know and love from the TV series (as well as a few more!) take the audience on a high energy night of adventure that is full of laughs, thrills, pubescent angst, heavy synth, poor parenting, convoluted love triangles and some absolutely wonderful singing, dancing and acting. The script itself is genuinely funny, and the songs very catchy - a wonderful starting point for any musical comedy!
The creative team of Kristen Barros, Victoria Keomahavong and Jess Brisk have together done an excellent job of bringing Stranger Sings! to life. There is a calm confidence and strength of experience from this team that perfectly balances this frantic and hilariously helter-skelter show, keeping it from drifting too far into mayhem as can sometimes be the case with a spoof parody. The minimalist stage provided the perfect canvas to showcase the wonderfully talented cast who were all wonderful on opening night. The show moves apace, and the performers were tight and on point throughout, a credit to all involved.
Like the TV series, this show really is an ensemble piece which brings together a full cast of very talented and versatile performers in their own right. While every performer on opening night was excellent, there were a number of standouts requiring special mention.
The talented and terrific trio of Joel O’Brien as Mike, Peter Wood as Dustin and Elton Jun as Lucas brilliantly captured each of their characters nerdy quirks and idiosyncrasies and provided the perfect baseline for the show. Their high energy performances were delivered perfectly, with excellent comedic timing, fabulous vocals, wonderful physicality and great versatility.
Jaime O’Donoghue was outstanding as the slightly neurotic Joyce and also the creepy puppet version of Will. O’Donoghue’s performance throughout was eye-catching, her puppeteering skills on point, and her performance of “Crazy” an absolute showstopper. A powerhouse performance!
Kristin Sparks was excellent as Eleven, the telekinetic freak who just wants a Dad. The pivotal role is a difficult one, calling for a blend of neutral and unemotional characterisation, humour, some tender moments and a dance off, all of which Sparks made look effortless.
Jacob Ballard was wonderful as Hopper, providing a perfectly dry, straight man to O’Donoghue’s crazy. Ballard’s comedic timing was absolutely perfect, and his vocals commanding.
Emily Rohweder was absolutely wonderful as Barb, Nancy’s best friend and audience favourite. Rohweder revelled in the character’s arc, and her performance of “Barb’s Turn” was something to behold. Wonderful.
Daniel Lelic was terrific as both Steve Harrington and Jonathan Byers. Leilc’s versatility was on show throughout, and his excellent characterisation and physicality were wonderful, as were his vocals.
Chelsea Sales was perfectly cast as Nancy and Robyn. Her stage presence is wonderful, as is her comedic delivery, and her vocals throughout were excellent.
There were also strong, committed performances from Phoebe Lovell, Malcolm Hume and Anika Jocumsen, each performing multiple roles with aplomb.
I thoroughly encourage you to see Stranger Sings!, brought to you by the excellent team at Millennial Productions. The season runs until 26 April 20SS
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