Entertainment roundup
‘Stranger Things’ gets stage version
A “Stranger Things” stage play is ready to turn London upside down.
“Stranger Things: The First Shadow” is set to open on the West End in late 2023, offering a prequel story for Netflix’s hit supernatural series.
Like the series, the play takes place in the fictional town of Hawkins, Ind. It’s set in 1959, more than two decades before the events of the TV show.
“Young Jim Hopper’s car won’t start, Bob Newby’s sister won’t take his radio show seriously and Joyce Maldonado just wants to graduate and get the hell out of town,” reads a play synopsis. “When new student Henry Creel arrives, his family finds that a fresh start isn’t so easy... and the shadows of the past have a very long reach.”
Mo’Nique’s Netflix special set for April 4
Mo’Nique’s Netflix special is set to premiere less than a year after her discrimination suit against the streaming giant was settled out of court.
“My Name Is Mo’Nique” will debut April 4.
In 2017, Netflix offered Mo’Nique $500,000 to star in her own comedy special, but the Oscar-winning actor claimed the streamer was low-balling her and that the offer was discriminatory. She pointed out that fellow comedians Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock and Amy Schumer had been offered eight-figure deals, and claimed that Netflix has systematically underpaid Black women.
Netflix rescinded its offer, and in 2019 Mo’Nique sued Netflix for failing to negotiate in good faith.
The federal judge overseeing the case sided with Mo’Nique, and in June 2022 the lawsuit was settled out of court. “My Name Is Mo’Nique” was filmed later that year in Atlanta.
‘Funny Girl’ to close
The Broadway revival of “Funny Girl” will play its final performance on Sept. 3.
Lea Michele will continue her critically acclaimed run as Fanny Brice until the show’s cast and crew take a final bow at the August Wilson Theatre over Labor Day weekend.
By the time the curtain closes for the last time, “Funny Girl” will have had 599 performances and 30 previews.