Hawkins, Indiana is heading to London for the all-new prequel play, Stranger Things: The First Shadow.
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A new prequel play for Netflix’s hit series Stranger Things is being prepped in London. Stranger Things: The First Shadow will be set in 1959 and will show us earlier versions of the older characters in the TV series, as well as give us more insight into the creation of Vecna.
The play is currently in rehearsals and will begin previews on Nov. 17. The premiere will take place on Dec. 14 at the Phoenix Theatre in London’s West End.
The cast includes Louis McCartney (Silent Roar, Hope Street, Game of Thrones) as Henry Creel, Ella Karuna Williams (The Equalizer) as Patty Newby, and Patrick Vaill (Oklahoma!, Macbeth, Dash & Lily) as Dr. Brenner.
Louis McCartney (Henry Creel) and Patrick Vaill (Dr. Brenner). Courtesy of Charlie Gray/Netflix © 2023
Oscar Lloyd (The 47th, Hotel Portofino, 4 O’Clock Club) takes on the role as Jim Hopper, Jr., Isabella Pappas (Finding Alice, The Villains of Valley View, The Nether) is Joyce Maldonado (Joyce Byers’ maiden name), and Christopher Buckley (David Copperfield, Orphans, Stig of the Dump) plays Bob Newby.
(L-R) Oscar Lloyd (James Hopper, Jr.), Isabella Pappas (Joyce Maldonado), and Christopher Buckley (Bob Newby) Courtesy of Charlie Gray/Netflix © 2023
Then there’s Michael Jibson (Bodies, The Essex Serpent, Hamilton) as Victor Creel and Lauren Ward (Dear Evan Hansen, Matilda the Musical, Caroline) as Virginia Creel.
Also joining the cast are Shane Attwooll (Wonder Woman 1984, Legend, The Last Days of Judas Iscariot) as Chief Hopper, Kemi Awoderu as Sue Anderson (Sue Sinclair’s maiden name), and Chase Brown as Lonnie Byers. Ammar Duffus plays Charles Sinclair, while Gilles Geary is Ted Wheeler, and Florence Guy is Karen Childress (Karen Wheeler’s maiden name). Max Harwood plays Allen Munson, Matthew Pidgeon is Father Newby, Calum Ross is Walter Henderson, and Maisie Norma Seaton takes on the role of Claudia Henderson.
Tricia Adele-Turner, Lauren Arney, Reya-Nyomi Brown, Patricia Castro, Lydia Fraser, Isaac Gryn, Mark Hammersley, Tom Peters, Kingdom Sibanda, Tiana Simone, Danny Sykes and Meesha Turner are featured as well.
“The cast of Stranger Things: The First Shadow is nothing short of phenomenal,” said Matt and Ross Duffer (the creators of Stranger Things and the play’s creative producers). “These actors brilliantly explore the early days of many fan favorites — including Hopper, Joyce, Bob, Henry, and Dr. Brenner — while also bringing new characters to vivid life. We couldn’t be more thrilled and can’t wait for you to meet them all live on stage. See you in London, nerds!”
“With rehearsals now underway, it’s a joy to discover the world of Stranger Things: The First Shadow with our ferociously talented cast and watch the alchemy amongst our entire company grow as we together explore this new play,” said director Stephen Daldry and co-director Justin Martin. “They’re an extraordinarily gifted group of actors, and we can’t wait to share this origin story with audiences.”
The stage play is based on an original story by The Duffer Brothers, Kate Trefry (a writer on Stranger Things), and Jack Thorne
Stranger Things: The First Shadow is completely canonical to the series.
Hawkins, 1959: a regular town with regular worries. Hopper’s car won’t start, Bob’s sister won’t take his radio show seriously and Joyce just wants to get out as soon as she can. When new student Henry Creel and his family arrive, they find a fresh start isn’t that easy… and the shadows of the past have a very long reach.
No word as of yet if the show will be filmed and shown on Netflix, but we won’t be too surprised if it shows up eventually.
