Olivier Award-winning stage production “Stranger Things: The First Shadow” makes its Broadway debut, transporting audiences to 1959 Hawkins where darkness and family collide.
“Stranger Things” Prequel Bring Supernatural Fantasy Thrill to Broadway
BY Oluwatomiwa Ogunniyi
April 25, 2025
9:56 am
Following its acclaimed West End run, “Stranger Things: The First Shadow” has officially opened at Broadway’s Marquis Theatre, New York.
This theatrical prequel to Netflix’s hit series takes viewers back to 1959 Hawkins, Indiana, where teenage Henry Creel (played by Louis McCartney) struggles with his troubled past and mysterious connection to supernatural events plaguing the town with the rest of the characters.
The production has been reportedly praised as “a game-changing experience” that “takes theatre to the next dimension,” bringing the beloved sci-fi universe to life through innovative stagecraft, design and soundtrack.
The show explores the origins of the Upside Down through young versions of familiar characters including Henry Creel, Joyce Maldonado (Alison Jaye), Bob Newby (Juan Carlos), Jim Hopper (Burke Swanson), Dr. Brenner, and Gabrielle Nevaeh, who embodies a new character in the Stranger Things universe, Patty Newby.
Directed by Three time Tony award winner, Stephen Daldry and Justin Martin, this collaboration between Netflix and Sonia Friedman Productions features an impressive 34-member cast. The production challenges theatrical boundaries, proving that sci-fi and stage can create something truly extraordinary.
The Broadway premiered on April 22nd attracting the show’s creators Ross and Matt Duffer and cast members, including Jamie Campbell Bower, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Priah Ferguson, and Noah Schnapp who witnessed firsthand how this standalone adventure brings the suspense, spectacle, and heart-pounding excitement of “Stranger Things” to the stage.