Louis McCartney in the West End production of "Stranger Things: The First Shadow"Louis McCartney in the West End production of “Stranger Things: The First Shadow.” Photo by Manuel Harlan.
Things are, shall we say, unsettling in Hawkins, Indiana. The year is 1959, and the Creel family has relocated to the small town to help teen Henry escape his “troubled past.” The new story by the Duffer Brothers, Jack Thorne, and Kate Trefry, is a prequel to the hit Netflix series and wowed audiences when it debuted in London in December 2023.

The production jumps the pond to arrive on Broadway, with previews beginning March 28 and an opening set for April 22—just in time for Tony Awards consideration in what’s proving to be a crowded season.
The cast of the West End production of "Stranger Things: The First Shadow."
Much has been surmised about LGBTQ+ visibility in the series, with fans and critics alike debating whether the TV series is queer-coded or queer-baiting.

In an interview with Variety during the height of the series’ success, actor Noah Schnapp, who played Will, the character in question, said, “I feel like they never really address it or blatantly say how Will is. I think that’s the beauty of it, that it’s just up to the audience’s interpretation, if it’s Will kind of just refusing to grow up and growing up slower than his friends, or if he is really gay.”

Will doesn’t even appear in the prequel stage iteration, but with a cast of 34, we can only hope that out director Stephen Daldry (the creative force behind the epic theatrical saga The Inheritance, for which he won a Tony Award) may imbue the piece with some queer sensibility.

The play also stars T.R. Knight (Grey’s Anatomy) as Victor Creel, Henry’s father, serving daddy vibes for his fifth Broadway production.

Here’s a first look at Stranger Things: The First Shadow. Tickets are now on sale.