Demogorgons tremble in anticipation as the Olivier Award-winning masterpiece, "Stranger Things: The First Shadow," prepares to unleash its eerie charm upon Broadway in 2025, with an official grand opening slated for April 22nd. Having captivated audiences across the UK, this prequel to the beloved series promises a heart-stopping journey into the past.
Imagine Hawkins, 1959: a tranquil town cloaked in the mundane concerns of everyday life. Jim Hopper, a youth whose car refuses to cooperate, grapples with frustrations. Bob Newby's sister dismisses his radio aspirations with a wave of her hand, while Joyce Maldonado dreams of graduation as her ticket out of this humdrum existence. But the arrival of a mysterious new student, Henry Creel, shakes the foundations of their world, revealing that a fresh start is rarely as simple as it seems. The shadows of the past stretch far and wide, weaving an intricate web that entangles them all.
Penned by the talented Kate Trefry, with the original narrative woven by the masterminds behind "Stranger Things," The Duffer Brothers, Jack Thorne, and Trefry herself, this play first enchanted London in 2023. Akin to the awe-inspiring "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child," where Jack Thorne also lent his magic, "Stranger Things: The First Shadow" promises a spectacle of special effects that will steal the spotlight.
Set two and a half decades before the events that unfolded on Netflix screens, this production will be a collaborative directorial endeavor between the esteemed Stephen Daldry and Justin Martin. Together, they will transport audiences to a time when the ordinary masked the extraordinary, and the first whispers of darkness began to echo through the halls of Hawkins. Get ready to be enveloped in a world where the past whispers secrets, and the future holds more terrors than one can imagine.
In its critique of the London staging, the New York Times exclaimed, "[This production] ignites the stage with a high-voltage, cinematic fervor, assailing audiences with a relentless barrage of horror-tinged frights and a sensory extravaganza: haunting smoke illusions, mind-bending levitations, chilling vocal manipulations echoing 'The Exorcist,' and an auditory cacophony that never relents. It's a flamboyant, dizzying carnival ride of a play, precisely the kind of spectacle one would anticipate from a Netflix co-production: thrilling yet superficial, crafted with lavish expense. 'Stranger Things: The First Shadow' accomplishes precisely what it aims for, and ardent fans will undoubtedly devour it wholeheartedly." (UK critics, as is customary, offered more benevolent assessments.)
Elsewhere in the realm of 'Stranger Things' news, anticipation builds for the fifth and final season of the Netflix phenomenon, tentatively set to grace our screens in 2025. With Linda Hamilton joining the ranks as a guest star, alongside the beloved returning cast members like Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Sadie Sink, and more, the Duffer Brothers have promised an emotionally charged farewell to the series. At a Netflix SAG FYC event, Matt Duffer shared, "We presented the entire season to Netflix in a two-hour pitch, moving our executives to tears – a heartening sign, I must say. The only other time I've witnessed such an emotional response from them was during budget meetings, ironically enough."
Broadway audiences will have the opportunity to experience 'Stranger Things: The First Shadow' firsthand as tickets go on sale in September.
