Juan Carlos Will Return to STRANGER THINGS: THE FIRST SHADOW After Suffering Onstage Industry
He underwent surgery and, five months later, is now recovered and returning to the show.
By: Stephi Wild Dec. 11, 2025
Juan Carlos, one of the original cast members of Stranger Things: The First Shadow, is set to return to the show after recovering from an injury he suffered on stage in June, Deadline reports.
Carlos injured his leg while jumping onto a turntable on stage and suffering an awkward landing. He finished the show and performed in the following show despite being in pain. Later it was revealed that he tore ligments in his ACL and meniscus. He underwent surgery and, five months later, is now recovered and returning to the show.
“When I got injured on stage back in June, I was told it would take 9 months post-surgery in July to get myself fully recovered and performing again,” Carlos said. “I cried the whole subway ride home. To go from my Broadway debut, one of the most exciting moments of my life, to an extended medical leave, felt like the worst moment of my life.”
Juan Carlos will return to the role he originated, Bob Newby, beginning on Monday, December 29. Understudy Patrick Scott McDermott has filled in during Carlos’ absence.
Read the original story on Deadline.
The current cast of Stranger Things: The First Shadow includes Rosie Benton, Alex Breaux, Robert T. Cunningham, Logan Gould, Shea Grant, Andrew Hovelson, Alison Jaye, T.R. Knight, Ted Koch, Jamie Martin Mann, Burke Swanson and, as Henry Creel, Louis McCartney.
The show, currently playing at the Marquis Theatre on Broadway, won 4 Tony Awards, making it the most Tony-winning play of the 2024-2025 Broadway season. Based on an original story by the Duffer Brothers, Jack Thorne and Kate Trefry, and rooted in the mythology and world of the Netflix global phenomenon, Stranger Things: The First Shadow is a new play written by Kate Trefry, directed by Stephen Daldry and co-directed by Justin Martin.
