Netflix has teamed up with Sonia Friedman Productions to produce the stage play Stranger Things: The First Shadow, which is “rooted in the mythology” of the hit streaming series Stranger Things and opened at the Phoenix Theatre in London’s West End last December. The show has been breaking box office records and won several awards, and in 2025, it will be making the jump to Broadway. Stranger Things: The First Shadow is set to begin previews at the Marquis Theatre on Friday, March 28, 2025 and officially open on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. A couple of months ago, we learned that the actor who will be playing the character of Henry Creel in the Broadway production is the same actor who has been playing him in London’s West End, Louis McCartney. Now, Variety has revealed the names of his fellow cast members.
T.R. Knight of Grey’s Anatomy is playing Henry’s father Victor Creel, with Rosie Benton (Patriots) as Virginia Creel, Alex Breaux (Stranger Things Season 5) as Dr. Brenner, newcomer Nicky Eldridge as Bob Newby, Andrew Hovelson (The Good Wife) as Principal Newby, Alison Jaye (Shameless) as Joyce Maldonado, Gabrielle Nevaeh (That Girl Lay Lay) as Patty Newby, and Burke Swanson (Back to the Future: The Musical) as James Hopper Jr.
A while back, Deadline heard that Stranger Things: The First Shadow “will be the first instalment in a trilogy exploring the dark underbelly of Hawkins, Indiana. Breaking Baz can reveal parts two and three are set to follow the inaugural play in two or three year intervals, according to insiders associated with the production. The stage sequels will launch in London first. Meanwhile, there are already plans for Stranger Things: The First Shadow to transfer to Broadway.”
Written by Stranger Things writer and co-executive producer Kate Trefry from an original story she crafted with the Duffer Brothers and Jack Thorne, Stranger Things: The First Shadow has the following synopsis: Hawkins, 1959: a regular town with regular worries. 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. 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. Brought to life by a multi-award-winning creative team, who take theatrical storytelling and stagecraft to a whole new dimension, this gripping new adventure will take you right back to the beginning of the Stranger Things story – and may hold the key to the end.
Stranger Things creators the Duffer Brothers are creative producers on the play, and the show’s producers at 21 Laps get an associate producer credit. The play is being directed by Stephen Daldry, with Justin Martin co-directing.
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