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The stage is set for a trip back in time.
The Stranger Things original stage play, Stranger Things: The First Shadow, is now in previews at the Phoenix Theatre on London’s West End, while the world premiere takes place on Dec. 14. And you may recognize some of its cast of characters as the younger versions, circa 1959, of some of your favorite Hawkins residents. Check out the first photo from the stage show below, and get to know the cast. Keep in mind: This prequel may just hold the key to what comes next…
The cast includes Louis McCartney (Silent Roar, Hope Street, Game of Thrones) as Henry Creel, Ella Karuna Williams (The Equalizer) as Patty Newby (Bob’s sister), and Patrick Vaill (Oklahoma!, Macbeth, Dash & Lily) as Dr. Brenner.
Oscar Lloyd (The 47th, Hotel Portofino, 4 O’Clock Club) takes on the role of James “Jim” Hopper Jr, Isabella Pappas (Finding Alice, The Villains of Valley View, The Nether) is Joyce Maldonado (Joyce Byers’ maiden name), and Christopher Buckley (David Copperfield, Orphans, Stig of the Dump) plays Bob Newby. Learn more about the cast and characters below.
In this story, Jim is an 18-year-old senior at Hawkins High, who’s “desperately trying to fix up his car so he can get out of Hawkins and make a new life for himself,” Lloyd tells Tudum. Young Hopper shares a sweet relationship with Bob that’s similar to the one we see between Steve and Dustin in the ’80s timeline. But unlike the Hopper we know, Lloyd says coming face-to-face with a Demogorgon would most likely leave him screaming and running.
Lloyd says he prepared for the role by watching a number of movies from the ’50s and listening to Chuck Berry on repeat.
The 47th, Hotel Portofino, 4 O’Clock Club
Before her life revolved around being the most supportive mom to Will and Jonathan Byers, Joyce was a senior at Hawkins High who wanted nothing more than to graduate and get away from the small Indiana town.
While preparing for the role, Pappas tells Tudum she rewatched Stranger Things to find elements of Joyce’s character to pull from. “I knew I couldn’t do an impression of Winona [Ryder], so I tried to make my own version of Joyce that can live on her own within the world of the play, as well as working alongside her portrayal.”
Perhaps differing from Ryder’s Joyce, who isn’t afraid to fight a Demogorgon head-on, Pappas had a different approach to what she might do when faced with such a creature: “Give it a little cuddle, maybe it’ll be nicer if I do. Who knows.” Kill ’em with kindness!
Finding Alice, The Villains of Valley View, The Nether
Bob, also referred to by Jim as “Bob the Brain,” is a senior at Hawkins High. He’s trying to get his radio show off the ground, though his sister doesn’t take this endeavor seriously. Buckley tells Tudum his character is “the big hearted, bumbling, and technologically gifted ‘nerd’ of the Hawkins High Class of ’59” and is searching for friendship and love from his peers. “But if you manage to find chemistry with somebody, you just need timing. And as all fans know, Bob isn’t the best at timing,” says Buckley.
While preparing for his role as the beloved character, Buckley rewatched the entire Stranger Things series. Though he drew from Sean Astin’s portrayal of Bob in Season 2, he also considered how a younger Bob might behave en route to becoming the person fans know and love.
If it ever came time to face off against the spooky monsters of the Upside Down, Buckley says, “My best plan would be to dive through [the Demogorgon’s] legs, sprint to the nearest source of fire, and waggle a makeshift torch to hold it off whilst screaming for Eleven at the top of my lungs.” A noble plan!
David Copperfield, Orphans, Stig of the Dump
Patty is new to the Stranger Things universe. She’s Bob’s adopted sister and a freshman at Hawkins High. “One could describe her as sassy, stubborn, nerdy, and sweet,” Williams tells Tudum, adding, “She doesn’t really fit in, much like the new student, Henry Creel.” So it’s no surprise the pair begin to develop a close connection, which Williams says turns her life “upside down.” Oh no!
As she prepared to bring this new character into the fold, Williams immersed herself in the Stranger Things world. She also listened to music that she believed Patty grew up listening to, including a lot of Ella Fitzgerald (a great artist to listen to while escaping Vecna’s grasp). She adds that if she ever faced a monster of the Upside Down, she’d “run, hide, cry, scream!”
The Equalizer
Before he was Vecna, he was just misunderstood. “When we first meet Henry, he appears to be a young innocent kid, just trying to do the right thing,” McCartney tells Tudum. “But don’t judge a book by its cover.” Henry is the new kid in town and a freshman at Hawkins High, where he meets a love interest in Patty Newby. After relocating to Hawkins, his family quickly learns that escaping their dark past won’t be as easy as they hoped.
McCartney carried out quite a bit of research in preparation for the role of the cold-blooded creator of the Upside Down. “I read a lot of medical studies that discussed aberrant psychology and tried to imagine what it must feel like for Henry to be afflicted by this disease, this demon inside of him,” he says. He also drew inspiration from storylines in the Stranger Things series, noting that he tried to keep the show’s “magical tone” in mind when developing his character.
Unlike some of his castmates, McCartney isn’t too frightened of Demogorgons. He says if he ever met one, he just might try and befriend it. “After all, we seem to share some sort of connection. #BFFS.”
Silent Roar, Hope Street, Game of Thrones
You may know him as Papa or Bad Man. Dr. Brenner was first contacted in 1959 by Henry’s mother, who was afraid of his psychokinetic abilities — and he “may have a past that goes straight to the core of the origins of Stranger Things,” Vaill tells Tudum. Once Henry landed in Dr. Brenner’s custody for treatment, he became the first test subject, One.
While tackling the role of Dr. Brenner, Vaill said he “wanted to play in the mode of sci-fi and horror from the ’50s,” which led him to watch such films as The Incredible Shrinking Man, The Thing From Another World, Queen of Blood, and others. “It’s been fun,” he says.
Despite his character’s interest in the dark world that lives beneath Hawkins, Vaill said he would probably “shit” himself if ever he came close to a Demogorgon.
Oklahoma!, Macbeth, Dash & Lily
The play also stars Michael Jibson (Bodies, The Essex Serpent, Hamilton) as Victor Creel and Lauren Ward (Dear Evan Hansen, Matilda the Musical, Caroline, or Change) as Virginia Creel. Follow Jibson @mikejibson and Ward @lolly_h_ward.
“The cast of Stranger Things: The First Shadow is nothing short of phenomenal,” said Matt and Ross Duffer (the creators of Stranger Things, who also act as the play’s creative producers). “These actors brilliantly explore the early days of many fan favorites — including Hopper, Joyce, Bob, Henry, and Dr. Brenner — while also bringing new characters to vivid life. We couldn’t be more thrilled and can’t wait for you to meet them all live on stage. See you in London, nerds!”
Stranger Things: The First Shadow also features Shane Attwooll (Wonder Woman 1984, Legend, The Last Days of Judas Iscariot) as Chief Hopper (James Hopper Jr’s father), Kemi Awoderu as Sue Anderson (Lucas and Erica’s mother), and Chase Brown as Lonnie Byers (Will and Jonathan’s father). Ammar Duffus plays Charles Sinclair (Lucas and Erica’s father), while Gilles Geary is Ted Wheeler (Mike and Nancy’s father) and Florence Guy is Karen Childress (Mike and Nancy’s mother). Max Harwood plays Alan Munson (Eddie’s father), Matthew Pidgeon is Principal Newby (Bob’s father), Calum Ross is Walter Henderson (Dustin’s father), and Maisie Norma Seaton takes on the role of Claudia Yount (Dustin’s mother).
Tricia Adele-Turner, Lauren Arney, Reya-Nyomi Brown, Patricia Castro, Lydia Fraser, Isaac Gryn, Mark Hammersley, Tom Peters, Kingdom Sibanda, Tiana Simone, Danny Sykes, and Meesha Turner are featured as well. Learn more about the cast below.
“It’s a joy to discover the world of Stranger Things: The First Shadow with our ferociously talented cast and watch the alchemy amongst our entire company grow as we together explore this new play,” said director Stephen Daldry and co-director Justin Martin. “They’re an extraordinarily gifted group of actors, and we can’t wait to share this origin story with audiences.”
The stage play is based on an original story by the Duffer brothers, Kate Trefry (a writer on Stranger Things), and Jack Thorne (who wrote the screenplay for 2022’s Enola Holmes 2, which stars Millie Bobby Brown, who plays Eleven). The Stranger Things play is produced by Netflix and Sonia Friedman Productions, with 21 Laps Entertainment as associate producer. The first act of the play is titled “Chapter One: The Girl From Nowhere.”
Written by Trefry, Stranger Things: The First Shadow is completely canonical to the series. Get ready for a blast from the past:
Hawkins, 1959: a regular town with regular worries. Hopper’s car won’t start, Bob’s sister won’t take his radio show seriously and Joyce just wants to get out as soon as she can. When new student Henry Creel and his family arrive, they find a fresh start isn’t that easy… and the shadows of the past have a very long reach.
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 to the beginning of the end.
The Stranger Things play also features set design by Miriam Buether, costume design by Brigitte Reiffenstuel, lighting design by Jon Clark, sound design by Paul Arditti, and illusions design and visual effects by Jamie Harrison and Chris Fisher. Video design and visual effects are by 59 Productions, original music and arrangements by D.J. Walde, choreography by Coral Messam, with movement direction by Lynne Page. Wigs, hair, and makeup design is by Campbell Young Associates, while Gary Beestone for Gary Beestone Associates is technical director, props supervision is by Mary Halliday, dialect by William Conacher, fight direction by Kev McCurdy, casting by Jessica Ronane Casting CDG with additional casting by Charlotte Sutton CDG, and international casting consultancy by Jim Carnahan.
Buy your tickets now at strangerthingsonstage.com, and be sure to follow these accounts on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Twitter for further ticket information, on-sale details, and more.
We can’t wait for you to meet young Hopper, Joyce, Bob Newby, Henry Creel, Dr. Brenner, and more of your beloved Stranger Things crew, before the world turned Upside Down…