‘Stranger Things: The First Shadow’ Is About To Turn Broadway Upside Down

Hawkins AV Club members rejoice! Though the wait between Stranger Things seasons four and five has been nothing short of excruciating, one undeniable bright spot has been the premiere of Stranger Things: The First Shadow on the West End—and its Broadway debut is finally confirmed.

Less than a year after the London production opened to glowing reviews, Netflix has officially announced that Stranger Things: The First Shadow is coming to Broadway, and sooner than you’d think.

First announced in 2023, Stranger Things: The First Shadow is an original stage play by Kate Trefry, Jack Thorne (who penned Harry Potter The Cursed Child), and the Duffer Brothers that serves as a canonical prequel to the Stranger Things series. Originally starring Oscar Lloyd, Isabella Pappas, and Chris Buckley, Stranger Things: The First Shadow is set in 1959, and follows teenage Joyce Byers (then Joyce Maldonado), Jim Hopper, and Bob Newby as they come face-to-face with Hawkins’ supernatural underbelly for the first time.

The play also features younger versions of recurring Stranger Things baddies including the sinister Dr. Brenner and Henry Creel, the boy who will eventually go on to become Vecna. Most crucially for Stranger Things fans, though, The First Shadow is the first appearance of a key character who’s mentioned multiple times on the show but never seen: Bob Newby’s unnamed sister. Though Bob makes several offhand references to a sister in season two, The First Shadow puts Patty Newby front and center and follows her doomed romance with the ill-fated Henry Creel.

Featuring set design by Mariam Buether, lighting design by Jon Clark, and video design by 59 production, Stranger Things: The First Shadow transposes the chilling sci-fi/horror tableaus of the Duffer brothers’ show for the stage with the help of an all-star creative team. The First Shadow’s dazzling visual effects nabbed the production an Olivier for best set design, and the show also won in the best entertainment or comedy play category. The London production is so successful it even received an extension, and will be playing at the Phoenix Theatre through February 2025.

That’s all well and good for the brits, but what about us Stranger Things fans on the other side of the pond? The good news is we don’t have to wait much longer: Once The First Shadow wraps up its tenure at the Phoenix in February, the cast and crew are picking up shop and heading straight to New York, with Broadway performances beginning March 28, 2025 at the Marquis Theater ahead of the official April 22 opening. Though tickets aren’t on presale quite yet, sign up is currently open on the show’s website for first access to tickets, with presale scheduled to open September 13 followed by general sale Sept 17.