Jonathan Hogue (L) and Nick Flatto, creators of “Stranger Sings! The Parody Musical.” (Photo by Evan Zimmerman)
The regional premiere of “Stranger Sings! The Parody Musical” is taking Tampa’s Straz Center “upside down.”
A night filled with adventure, pubescent angst and dancing monsters, “Stranger Sings! The Parody Musical” is a campy and satirical take on the hit Netflix series.
Nick Flatto, director of “Stranger Sings! The Parody Musical,” says the show has been six years in the making with Jonathan Hogue, the writer of the show. Flatto says he has enjoyed every moment directing this show.
“I love getting to bring this to audiences, but especially these Tampa audiences, it’s a rock concert in there,” Flatto says. “When I saw this script, it was just nonstop joke after joke. We flipped it on its head, now it’s pure comedy.”
The characters that many are familiar with like Mike, Eleven, Lucas, Dustin and even Barb, will be seen in a new light, Flatto says. “Stranger Sings!” follows the story arc of “Stranger Things” season one with some special nods to later seasons, according to the “Stranger Sings!” website.
While the show was in its early stages, Flatto had the idea to make the character of Will Byers a puppet and Hogue loved it. With Will being gay, they liked the idea of making him an abstract creation.
“Are we puppets until we come out and be our authentic selves in this theatrical world,” Flatto says. “I thought it was so cool to think that Will is a puppet until he has the strength to allow himself to live his truth.”
Flatto says one of the reasons he loves theater is because he can do things like connect queerness to puppetry. He says he wouldn’t be able to achieve that on TV or film.
“We get to introduce the audience to how fun material can live in the live theater sector,” Flatto says. “I fell in love with theater at a very young age and I thought this was the coolest way to see a story is living, breathing performances, sweat, tears and live singing.”
“Stranger Sings! The Parody Musical” had its world premiere Off-Broadway on Oct. 13, 2018. The show won seven Broadway World Off-Broadway Awards including Best Musical and was nominated for a Drama Desk.
“I always say that it comes back to the script,” Flatto says. “Because the script is so good it has attracted the best talent in New York.”
The show has eight actors playing over 35 characters. Behind the scenes, they are running around, changing costumes and throwing wigs, Flatto says.
The parody musical has an original cast album and is already being translated for productions in Spain and Brazil. There have also been productions of the show in London and Australia after it played Off-Broadway for eight months in New York.
“Every scene and song has a joke,” Flatto says. “We also have a lot of references for our people that appreciate the ‘80s, people that know all the ‘80s kind of pop culture, we have something for everyone. You’re constantly laughing because you recognize this secret message that we’ve given to you.”
Flatto says he feels connected to the show because at its core it is about bringing together a community, and as someone who is part of the LGBTQ+ community, he connects to Will’s character.
“Coming to see a show and laughing with people like us in an inclusive, safe environment, that’s pure joy and is what makes me tick and why I’m so excited to be here,” Flatto says.
The production is built “in the round,” providing a uniquely immersive experience with 360-degree seating. The Straz Center is also getting audiences in the ‘80s mindset with arcade games in the lobby for guests to enjoy before the show, courtesy of Lowry Parcade.
“We have pinball machines in the lobby and beanbags that you can sit in,” Flatto says. “I just want you to forget your worries and have a great time with like-minded individuals.”
Flatto says he hopes the show will get audiences excited about the upcoming fifth and final season of the hit series, which will be coming to Netflix in 2025.
“Stranger Sings!” features Tampa native Caroline Huerta, who plays Joyce Byers and Will Byers. Huerta has been featured in “Hairspray,” “In the Heights” and “The Handmaids Musical: A Dystopian Tale.”
After multiple extended runs, the musical became available for professional, amateur and educational licensing, something Flatto got to experience firsthand.
“I went to our first licensing in Staten Island and it was high schoolers,” he says. “It’s so amazing seeing performers the age of the characters playing the characters. There’s just this innocence and awkwardness that a teen has, it’s hard to replicate as an adult performer.”
Flatto hopes audiences will go in preparing to pick out on all the “Stranger Things” references that are written in the show. He says there are more secrets in the show and in its music that even he realized.
“Even as the director it took me two years to realize that is from this, so I think it makes it a fun game,” Flatto says. “It puts the show on a whole other level of fun when you challenge yourself to find the hidden jokes.”
Along with jokes referencing the series, Flatto says there are also several deep cuts referencing lesser-known bits of trivia related to Dungeons and Dragons for the true fans.
“It’s all for the audience,” Flatto says. “It’s a love letter to your favorite show letting you get to see your characters in a brand new way.”
“Stranger Sings! The Parody Musical” is playing now at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts’ Jaeb Theater in the Round, located at 1010 N. Macinnes Place in Tampa, through April 21. Tickets start at $37 and are available at StrazCenter.org.
