How STRANGER THINGS 5 Connects to the Broadway Play

Audiences are now deep in the dangerous depths of the Upside Down, with the ongoing fifth season of Stranger Things now streaming. Stranger Things 5, which is dropping in three batches, is the epic conclusion to the strange and mysterious world of Hawkins, first introduced with Season 1 in 2016.

As a bonus for Broadway fans, the new season also features a few clever tie-ins to the stage show and vice versa. Currently playing at Broadway’s Marquis Theatre, Stranger Things: The First Shadow is a prequel to the Netflix hit, offering a look back at fan-favorite characters like Hopper, Joyce, and the villainous Henry Creel during their younger days.

But how does the new season connect to The First Shadow? Do you need to see the stage show to enjoy the new season? Find out the answers in the guide below!

What is Stranger Things: The First Shadow?

Stranger Things: The First Shadow is a prequel play to the hit Netflix series. Originally debuting on the West End in 2023, the Broadway production opened on April 22, 2025, at the Marquis Theatre and went on to win 4 Tony Awards. The play is based on an original story by the Duffer Brothers, Jack Thorne, and Kate Trefry, and is written by Trefry. Stephen Daldry and Justin Martin direct.

Stranger Things: The First Shadow tells the origin story of Stranger Things villain Vecna, aka Henry Creel. In 1959, Hawkins, Indiana, the Creel family seeks a fresh start, especially their teenage son Henry, who is eager to escape his troubled past. Initially, things go well after finding friendship and joining the school play. But soon, a wave of shocking crimes strikes the town, and Henry is forced to confront a terrifying truth: is there something inside him that connects him to the horrors unfolding around him?

When does Season 5 take place?

Season 5 of Stranger Things picks up in the fall of 1987. The majority of the stage play takes place in 1959, 28 years earlier. In Volume 1 of Stranger Things 5, viewers saw a brief flashback of that era, with Joyce passing out flyers for a Dawkins High School production of Oklahoma! - a production that unfolds during the plot of the stage show. 

In Stranger Things 5, Hawkins is scarred by the opening of the Rifts, and a single goal unites our heroes: find and kill Vecna. However, he has vanished, and his whereabouts and plans are unknown. Complicating their mission, the government has placed the town under military quarantine and intensified its hunt for Eleven, forcing her back into hiding. 

The season features the return of familiar characters like Joyce Byers, Jim Hopper, Eleven, Mike Wheeler, Dustin Henderson, Lucas Sinclair, Will Byers, Max Mayfield, Nancy Wheeler, Jonathan Byers, Steve Harrington, Robin Buckley, Erica Sinclair, and more. 

Do you have to see The First Shadow to see Season 5? 

No, Stranger Things 5 stands on its own and can be seen independently of the stage show. However, The First Shadow may offer some insights into the characters and plot that aren’t explicitly seen or mentioned in the series. "We are certainly a catalyst for Season 5 and for Stranger Things as a whole. We're a spin-off, but we are our own standalone story and we're a prequel," actor Louis McCartney, who plays Henry Creel, told BroadwayWorld in an exclusive interview.

"[The play] is a very important, very prevalent part of the Stranger Things universe with all these younger characters. With Brenner and Henry, it's extremely important to see their dynamic, the reasons why Hawkins has to fall, the reasons that the pain is so important, the fear, the want to fit in, all of the above. It's in The First Shadow."

Can I watch The First Shadow at home?

Not currently. It is unknown if an official filmed version or a published script will be released at some point in the future. However, Netflix did produce a behind-the-scenes documentary about the development and creation of the stage show. Titled Behind the Curtain: Stranger Things: The First Shadow, it is available to stream now here.

Is material from The First Shadow featured in Season 5?

Some of it! In addition to the aforementioned production of Oklahoma! that plays a large part in the stage show, creator Matt Duffer previously told EW that there will be several other elements in The First Shadow in the final season. "Actually we had to block the Broadway show producers a lot from putting in too much material that we were gonna have in season 5 because we did not want it to be too spoilery," said Duffer.

Are there any cast members from The First Shadow in Season 5?

Alex Breaux, who plays Dr. Brenner in The First Shadow, is the only actor to appear in a regular capacity in both the stage show and the Netflix series. Look out for him in Volume 1 of Season 5, currently streaming on Netflix.

On Friday, December 19, Jamie Campbell Bower surprised the audience of The First Shadow by appearing onstage for the final scene of the production. For the cameo, he reprised his role as Henry Creel, aka Vecna, which he plays in the series. 

"I'm honored to have been asked to do it," Jamie Campbell Bower told Tudum.com. "I've been so fortunate to see First Shadow twice, both in London and when it opened here. It's both a very bizarre and also beautiful experience to see it, so to wrap up my journey with Stranger Things by doing this, it's really cool." Check out a video from his appearance here. 

When does the rest of Stranger Things 5 arrive on Netflix?

Volume 1 of Stranger Things 5 is now streaming globally (Episodes 501-504), with Volume 2 arriving on December 25 (Episodes 505-507), and The Finale on December 31 (Episode 508). Each volume releases at 5 PM PT. 

Watch the trailer for Volume 2 below:

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