Stranger Things: The First Shadow Tickets

Netflix and Sonia Friedman Productions have announced additional details for their new Stranger Things stage show coming to the Phoenix Theatre in London. Based on an original story by the Duffer Brothers, Jack Thorne and Kate Trefry, Stranger Things: The First Shadow will begin performances at the Phoenix Theatre in London's West End on 17 November 2023 with an official opening night on 14 December 2023. Tickets for the show will be available to book on 30 March 2023 with priority booking opening 28 March. A weekly lottery for late-release tickets will be announced closer to the first performance. The show is to be directed by Olivier and Tony Award winner Stephen Daldry (Billy Elliot The Musical, Netflix's The Crown, An Inspector Calls), and is written by Kate Trefry, who has written for the Stranger Things TV show. Audiences are promised that “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.” This new stage adaptation of the hit Netflix TV series was first announced last July, and subsequent casting rumours have been circulating for some time, including a casting search for George Smith and Betty Olsen, who are both 14 years old. No casting has yet been revealed for the show. More about Stranger Things: The First Shadow in London

Netflix and Sonia Friedman Productions have announced further details of the new Stranger Things stage show coming to the Phoenix Theatre in London. Stranger Things: The First Shadow will open in London's West End in 2023. Based on an original story by the Duffer Brothers, Jack Thorne and Kate Trefry, Stranger Things: The First Shadow, a new play written by Kate Trefry, will receive its world premiere in late 2023 at the Phoenix Theatre in London's West End, directed by Stephen Daldry with co-direction by Justin Martin. Produced by Netflix and Sonia Friedman Productions, the play will go on sale this spring, details of which will be announced later this month. The Duffer Brothers act as creative producers, with 21 Laps as associate producer. The show is to be directed by Olivier and Tony Award winner Stephen Daldry (Billy Elliot The Musical, Netflix's The Crown, An Inspector Calls), and written by Kate Trefry, who has written for the Stranger Things TV show. The stage play is set within the mythology and world of Stranger Things. The show’s synopsis is: 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. Audiences are promised that “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 Stranger Things stage show will be produced by West End and Broadway impresario Sonia Friedman (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, The Book of Mormon, Funny Girl, Merrily We Roll Along). Also producing will be Daldry, and the TV show's creators - the Duffer Brothers, plus the Stranger Things TV show's producers 21 Laps will associate produce. This new stage adaptation of the hit Netflix TV series was first announced last July, and subsequent casting rumours have been circulating for some time, including a casting search for George Smith and Betty Olsen, who are both 14 years old. Director of Stranger Things: The First Shadow - Stephen Daldry - started his career at the Sheffield Crucible Theatre and has directed extensively in London, the UK's regional theatres and around the world. In London he was Artistic Director of the Gate Theatre and the Royal Court Theatre. His 1992 National Theatre production of An Inspector Calls was an enormous hit, playing the National, London, Broadway and multiple productions around the world; as was his multi-award winning production of Billy Elliot the Musical, adapted from his movie, which won ten Tony awards in 2009 including Best Musical. His film work includes Billy Elliot, The Hours, The Reader and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close; and TV includes the smash-hit Netflix series The Crown. Joining Stephen Daldry in the creative team is co-director Justin Martin, set design by Miriam Buether, costume design by Brigitte Reiffenstuel, lighting design by Jon Clark, sound design by Paul Arditti, illusions design by Jamie Harrison & Chris Fisher, video design by 59 Productions, movement direction by Coral Messam, wigs, hair and make-up design by Campbell Young Associates, casting by Charlotte Sutton CDG, international casting consultancy by Jim Carnahan, Gary Beestone for Gary Beestone Associates is Technical Director, with further creative team members to be announced. No casting has yet been revealed for the show. More about Stranger Things: The First Shadow in London The Quotes Matt and Ross Duffer said: “We are beyond excited about Stranger Things: The First Shadow. Collaborating with the brilliant Stephen Daldry has been nothing short of inspiring, and Kate Trefry has written a play that is at turns surprising, scary, and heartfelt. You will meet endearing new characters, as well as very familiar ones, on a journey into the past that sets the groundwork for the future of Stranger Things. We’re dying to tell you more about the story but won't - it’s more fun to discover it for yourself. Can’t wait to see you nerds in London!” Sonia Friedman said: “The world and mythology of Stranger Things has enabled a rich and fertile ground for creating an incredible story for the stage. The Duffer Brothers have built a huge global following for good reason, and a world-class creative team has built on their boundless imagination to dream up an unbelievably exciting theatrical event for our audiences. Set within the canon of Stranger Things, this new play opens in London, with the West End hosting the only place in the world to experience this new story – for now. I’m thrilled to reunite with my visionary long-term collaborator Stephen Daldry. Together, with our brilliant Netflix partners, we can’t wait to welcome Stranger Things fans into theatre, and theatregoers into the realm of Stranger Things.” Greg Lombardo, VP Live Experiences for Netflix said, “Stranger Things has captured the imagination of fans around the world and we are incredibly thrilled to expand this exciting universe with Netflix’s first live stage production. With the creative talents of Matt and Ross Duffer combined with Sonia Friedman and Stephen Daldry, theatregoers will be swept up in a truly epic event worthy of Stranger Things.”

The producers of the new Stranger Things stage play have dropped a teaser video - and we are intrigued! News came out last July that Netflix and the Stranger Things creators Matt & Ross Duffer - the Duffer Brothers - had decided to create a new spin-off stage play. The Duffers had already set up a new production company, Upside Down Pictures, to produce new work and Stranger Things spin-offs, and lots of other TV-adjacent projects are said to be in the works. A stage play makes perfect sense, especially if you look at the huge success of the Harry Potter stage spin-off Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. And so, it's no accident that the stage producer Netflix and the Duffers have turned to to realise their West End (and presumably Broadway) dreams, is Sonia Friedman Productions, who produces Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, alongside a whole host of other shows in London and New York. 21 Laps - the actual producers of the Stranger Things TV show - are also producers on the stage show. The director will be none other than Netflix favourite Stephen Daldry, who neatly straddles the worlds of TV (The Crown) and stage (Billy Elliot The Musical). Kate Trefry, who has written on the Stranger Things TV show, is set to write the stage version, which is going to be firmly set within the mythology and world of the TV show. The teaser video is suitably teasing, showing a red mansion house, with a light on in the upstairs window, and a LIVE ON STAGE strapline. The Coming Soon graphic reveals a white 100 before morphing into the red COMING SOON. What does it all mean?! Casting rumours for the new show have been circulating for some time, including a casting search for George Smith and Betty Olsen, who are both 14 years old. But no other details have yet been released about the story or characters. Other new Duffer Brothers projects through their Upside Down Pictures, run by former BBC America exec Hilary Leavitt, include a live action series adapted from Japanese manga and anime series Death Note; and a new TV show built around Stephen King and Peter Straub‘s 80's novel The Talisman, which the Duffers will produce with Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment and Paramount Television. Netflix's TV show Stranger Things is a massive hit around the world, and Season 5 started shooting in August 2022. More about Stranger Things The Show in London

Entertainment site Collider (see link below) is reporting that the producers of the upcoming Stranger Things stage show may be casting. A casting breakdown is rumoured to have gone out to casting directors in the UK and the US for two of the new characters for the stage show. Last July, Netflix and the producers of the new stage show put out news about the project. The show is to be directed by Olivier and Tony Award winner Stephen Daldry (Billy Elliot The Musical, Netflix's The Crown, An Inspector Calls), and produced by West End and Broadway impresario Sonia Friedman (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, The Book of Mormon, Funny Girl, Merrily We Roll Along). Also producing will be Daldry, Netflix, plus the TV show's creators - the Duffer Brothers - and their 21 Laps production outfit will associate produce. The play (or show!) will be written by Kate Trefry, who has written for the Stranger Things TV show, and it will be set within the mythology and world of Stranger Things. The casting breakdown is rumoured to include information on two characters - George Smith and Betty Olsen, who are both 14 years old. George Smith is described as a “moody and pale outcast", and Betty Olsen is "the daughter of a preacher and a goody two-shoes, who can’t believe she’s falling for the school’s outcast." We haven't been able to independently verify any of this - so it remains firmly in the "Stage Spy" camp! But we have everything crossed that the stage show is progressing - as we can't wait to see the Stranger Things universe expanded to include the West End stage. More about Stranger Things The Show in London

A brand new stage play based on Netflix hit series Stranger Things is coming to the theatre soon - and hopefully a London theatre! The signs are good as London-based mega-producer Sonia Friedman (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, To Kill a Mockingbird) is behind the Stranger Things theatre project, alongside Netflix and US film and TV producer 21 Laps. The new Stranger Things stage play is to be directed by The Crown and Billy Elliot director Stephen Daldry, and will be set within the mythology and world of Stranger Things. Kate Trefry, who has written on the Stranger Things TV show, is set to write the stage version. There's no word yet on when and where Stranger Things The Play will open, or who will star in the cast of the stage show. The announcement comes on the back of Stranger Things creators Matt & Ross Duffer - the Duffer Brothers - forging a big new partnership with Netflix, which includes creating a new production company with them called Upside Down Pictures, run by former BBC America exec Hilary Leavitt Other new projects include a live action series adapted from Japanese manga and anime series Death Note; and a new TV show built around Stephen King and Peter Straub‘s 80's novel The Talisman, which the Duffers will produce with Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment and Paramount Television. Stranger Things is hugely popular around the world and an important show for Netflix. It has topped Netflix's most popular English language title with 1.15 billion hours viewed in its first 28 days of the Season 4 launch. Season 5 of Stranger Things - the final series - starts shooting in August 2022. Director of Stranger Things The Play - Stephen Daldry - started his career at the Sheffield Crucible Theatre and has directed extensively in London, the UK's regional theatres and around the world. In London he was Artistic Director of the Gate Theatre and the Royal Court Theatre. His 1992 National Theatre production of An Inspector Calls was an enormous hit, playing the National, London, Broadway and multiple productions around the world; as was his multi-award winning production of Billy Elliot the Musical, adapted from his movie, which won ten Tony awards in 2009 including Best Musical. His film work includes Billy Elliot, The Hours, The Reader and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close; and TV includes the smash-hit Netflix series The Crown. One of the stars of Stranger Things, David Harbour, is currently starring on the London stage in Theresa Rebeck's play Mad House at the Ambassadors Theatre. More about Stranger Things The Show in London