Ready to be turned upside down? Stranger Things: The First Shadow, the acclaimed West End stage show based on the popular Netflix series, will soon arrive on Broadway.
This new play by Kate Trefry, a writer and co-executive producer for the TV series of Stranger Things, is rooted in the mythology and world of the Netflix global phenomenon. The play is not to be confused with Stranger Sings!, which is an off-Broadway musical parody of the Netflix series.
The science fiction horror drama television series was created by the Duffer Brothers and released on July 15, 2016. The second and third season followed in October 2017 and July 2019 respectively, and the fourth season aired in two parts in May and July 2022.
Stranger Things Season 4 is one of Netflix’s Most Popular English TV series of all time with an astounding 141M views (1.84B view hours) in its first 91 days. It was the second title in Netflix history to cross the billion hour viewing mark in its first 91 days. The season reached the Top 10 in 93 countries and featured on the list for 19 weeks. Stranger Things Season 5 is currently in production.
In the play... Hawkins, 1959: a regular town with regular worries. Young Jim Hopper’s car won’t start, Bob Newby’s sister won’t take his radio show seriously and Joyce Maldonado just wants to graduate and get the hell out of town. When new student Henry Creel arrives, his family finds that a fresh start isn’t so easy… and the shadows of the past have a very long reach.
The stage show is brought to life by a multi-award-winning creative team, who take theatrical storytelling and stagecraft to a whole new dimension, this gripping new adventure will take you right back to the beginning of the Stranger Things story - and may hold the key to the end.
The play began previews in the West End on November 17, 2023, and officially opened on December 14 at the Phoenix Theatre. Winner of two Olivier Awards including Best Entertainment, this production is brought to life by an award-winning creative team including director Stephen Daldry and co-director Justin Martin.
The Broadway cast is led by Louis McCartney from the London production, with Rosie Benton, Alex Breaux, Nicky Eldridge, Andrew Hovelson, Alison Jaye, Emmy Award nominee T.R. Knight, Emmy Award nominee Gabrielle Nevaeh and Burke Swanson.
With stunning special effects, extraordinary performances, and a storyline that will keep you on the edge of your seat, this gripping, stand-alone adventure will take you right back to the beginnings of the Stranger Things story.
While there are some fun jump scares, they, by nature, come and go quickly. For the most part, the show doesn’t mine the suspenseful, lingering dread that the series effectively deploys to keep you on the edge of your seat.
A three-hour fan wiki brought to life, complete with origin stories, stilted dialogue, lame jokes, and sequences seemingly constructed only to set up the next visual effect.
| 2023 | West End |
West End |
| 2024 | West End |
West End |
| 2025 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
| Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Direction of a Play | Justin Martin |
| 2025 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Direction of a Play | Stephen Daldry |
| 2025 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play | Louis McCartney |
| 2025 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Lighting Design of a Pl | Jon Clark |
| 2025 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Scenic Design of a Play | Chris Fisher |
| 2025 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Scenic Design of a Play | Jamie Harrison |
| 2025 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Scenic Design of a Play | Miriam Buether |
| 2025 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Sound Design of a Play | Paul Arditti |
| 2025 | Drama League Awards | DISTINGUISHED PERFORMANCE | Louis McCartney |
| 2025 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Direction of a Play | Stephen Daldry |
| 2025 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Direction of a Play | Justin Martin |
| 2025 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Lead Performer in a Broadway Play | Louis McCartney |
| 2025 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Lighting Design | Jon Clark |
| 2025 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding New Broadway Play | Stranger Things: The First Shadow |
| 2025 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Scenic Design | Chris Fisher |
| 2025 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Scenic Design | Jamie Harrison |
| 2025 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Scenic Design | Miriam Buether |
| 2025 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Sound Design | Paul Arditti |
| 2025 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Video/Projections | 59 |
| 2025 | Tony Awards | Best Costume Design of a Play | Brigitte Reiffenstuel |
| 2025 | Tony Awards | Best Lighting Design of a Play | Jon Clark |
| 2025 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play | Louis McCartney |
| 2025 | Tony Awards | Best Scenic Design of a Play | Miriam Buether |
| 2025 | Tony Awards | Best Scenic Design of a Play | 59 |
| 2025 | Tony Awards | Best Sound Design of a Play | Paul Arditti |
Videos