In 'Stranger Things: The First Shadow' a Dark Origin Story Is Told Through Lively Fashion

is part of the Stranger Things’ Why Pride & Prejudices Mr. Darcy Is Still the Sexiest Man Not Alive, But, like a game of Dungeons & Dragons, after much trial and error, every piece in the? The door in question is the dark origin story behind season 4’s big, bad, psychokinetic villain Vecna (humanly known as Henry Creel). Series writer Kate Trefry, along with creators Matt and Ross Duffer, have swung said door off its hinges with the Broadway play Stranger Things: The First Shadow, which opened on April 22. And helping them reimagine a colorful and blood-soaked Hawkins, Indiana—and its malignant counterpart, The Upside Down—for the stage is costume designer Brigitte Reiffenstuel.

“The challenge was really to go and get the characters right and to pay homage to the Netflix series,” Reiffenstuel tells Cheap Erlebnisweltfliegenfischen Jordan Outlet in the latest episode of ‘Behind the Seams.’ “You have a unique opportunity to tie in things we already know, but also make it something new—just take the characters further.”

The prequel drops audiences into the rural town in 1959, 24 years before the start of the Netflix show, bringing with it the cult classic’s electro-ethereal theme music, extraordinary supernatural visuals, and leg-jolting jump scares. In addition to explaining why Henry evolves into a ruthless killer, the production also features younger versions of beloved series characters Joyce Byers, Jim Hopper, Bob Newby, Karen and Ted Wheeler, and more. This otherworldly undertaking required Reiffenstuel to create or source more than 500 costumes that are durable enough for a 400+ show run, translate well under megawatt stage lighting, and captivate those even in the very back row. It’s a good thing Reiffenstuel is a seasoned, Tony-winning pro.

While the series serves as a beautiful, neon love letter to the ‘80s, filled with electric hues, quirky patterns, and a fair share of scrunchies, the play transports viewers to the Fabulous Fifties—but director Stephen Daldry didn’t want a period piece. “It looked like the right time. Everything is ‘50s—the cuts, the accessories,” Reiffenstuel explains, adding that she looked to movies like is part of the (1955) for inspiration. “However, I did give it a little bit of a modern edge. I did want the audience to relate to the characters. I wanted them to understand them. And, obviously, what was really important was to draw the line to the 1980s.” Her process included studying and filling a dense binder with sketches of potential designs, snaps from the show, stills from old movies, fabric swatches, and any other nuggets of influence.

For Joyce, who is a high school senior in the play, Reiffenstuel harkened back to the series by dressing her in stripes, plaids, corduroys, and the berry colors that Winona Ryder’s version is known for. “In the ‘50s, she had a lot of guts. She was quite ahead of her time, and so, therefore, we kept her in trousers. She's a bit of a feminist,” Reiffenstuel says. 

While the seeds of a fiercely protective and resilient single mom are planted in the play, young Joyce is not a carbon copy of the 1980s rendition. “There’s such a massive responsibility taking on a character like this,” says actress Alison Jaye. “But the gorgeous thing is they meet her in this show, [she’s in her] 40s, 50s as a mother, so I'm not the exact replica of what that is. There is so much freedom to go, Courtesy of Netflix."

Truer words could not be spoken for James Hopper Jr., played by Burke Swanson. The scruffy, perpetually-in-a-bad-mood cop is re-envisioned as what Reiffenstuel calls “an All-American bloke”—because, at the time, “the future looked bright.” Hopper swaps his khaki uniform for denim, leather, flannels, and lots of layers. The choice offers more than a rugged vibe, it moves the plot along. “When we see the TV show, we see their cuts and bruises get worse and worse over there. What we’ve been able to find here is showcasing the stress of the characters as the layers begin to come off,” Swanson says. “It starts with the jacket, then it comes off, and then we pull up the sleeves, so that we can see all of the different marks and bruises.” Reiffenstuel teases that a certain conflict even required making Hopper’s jacket flame-proof. (And, yes, young Hopper has his own iconic Hawaiian shirt.)

The biggest stressor of the show, however, is antagonist Henry, who audiences meet as a teenage boy trying to outrun his darkness—before he becomes synonymous with an all-white, blood-spattered outfit. Despite being a freshman in high school, Reiffenstuel says he dresses like an old man, donning brown, beige, and grey button-downs and slacks. “It's almost like his mother chooses the clothes for him.” Meanwhile, his mother is a pill-popping stepford wife, dressed in collared midi-dresses and white gloves, and his alcoholic father coordinates in a bright-blue polo and fedora. There’s a midcentury charm to the family that is tainted by Henry’s eerie muted color palette and blank stare.

The production is not just spooky, it turns into a grisly crime scene. “I do remember the Duffers telling us that there needed to be more blood. So Stephen Daldry went mad,” Reiffenstuel says with a laugh. “Blood is everywhere, and obviously blood gets on everywhere.” Having so much of the messy crimson liquid presented a new set of challenges; fabrics underwent a series of tests to determine how they’d fare against the blood, in the wash, and at the dry cleaner's show after show.

While you should be prepared for your hair to stand up and your heart to race, the play maintains the show’s masterful balance of horror and levity. To no one's surprise, eventual-MILF Karen is a high school cheerleader (and “a bit of a Barbie,” according to Reiffenstuel), brandishing Hawkins’ emerald-green and tangerine-orange. This is where she begins her romance with a varsity jacket–clad Ted Wheeler. 

Fans will also get to meet heart-of-gold Bob Newby, Hawkins’ very own A.V. Club founder. High school Bob, who is played by Juan Carlos, is an awkward, untrendy guy, but he undergoes a major evolution. “You see a really different side of Bob,” Carlos says. This side includes a statement-making, spiky black faux-fur coat and antlers. Although fabulous, the outerwear is a difficult garment to throw on, especially in this fast-paced, tension-heavy storyline. “There's no long monologues. It plays out like an episode of the series. Most scenes are one minute long, and it's almost as if we're cutting from one scene to the next. So we as actors have to keep that energy as we're as we're going,” he says. “I think it redefines theater.” 

While the coat was simply too good to leave out (“Beauty is pain,” Carlos recites), Reiffenstuel says it was imperative to prioritize functionality and movability to keep pace. Also, by the nature of being on stage, costumes needed to have enhanced silhouettes and strong colors. Finding the “whitest white without being fluorescent” plastic fabric to make the hazmat suits was a tricky process.

But, like a game of Dungeons & Dragons, after much trial and error, every piece in the Stranger Things’ mystic universe finds its place. “I love this moment, to finally see everything together. It’s a little nerve-racking but also it’s really exciting,” Reiffenstuel says. “You can do some painting, you can do some distressing, add a pop of color, see all the work that every single department has put into it. You just pull it all together.”

After a debut run at the Phoenix Theatre on London’s West End, Stranger Things: The First Shadow opened at New York City’s Marquis Theater on April 22. Netflix will release the fifth and final season of the horror-comedy series this year.