Stranger Things: The First Shadow has opened in the West End to rave reviews – and could be just the beginning of Stranger Things on stage.
According to Baz in Deadline The First Shadow will be the first of three, with a trilogy of Stranger Things plays planned for the stage.
There will be two or three year intervals between each instalemnt, according to industry insiders.
Also, Broadway plans are already underway for this Stranger Things prequel, set in Hawkins Indiana in the late 1950s.
No dates or theatre have been rumoured for Broadway, but the primary London producer of the show, Sonia Friedman, is increasingly working as much in New York as she is in London, chief amongst her projects being the mega-hit Merrily We Roll Along.
Friedman has a producing partnership with theatre owner ATG, and Stranger Things is in one of their London houses – the Phoenix Theatre. ATG also now own seven Broadway venues, so finding a venue for Stranger Things shouldn’t be hard.
Reviews from the London critics have been stellar, with the Guardian, Evening Standard and Telegraph all hailing the show a five-star hit. Less enthusiastic have been New York notices: it’s unusual for Johnny Oleksinski of the New York Post to be at a London first-night, but he clearly thought it was important to be there given the show’s Broadway-bound rumours. To say he didn’t like it is an understatement. The New York Times’ Houman Barekat was also underwhelmed. More positive was David Benedict in entertainment industry publication Variety – something that will give Netflix and the Duffer Brothers pleasure given that this is Netflix’s first foray into stage spin-offs.
The London cast of the show are strongly tipped for greater things, with Louis McCartney (Game of Thrones) as Henry Creel getting great notices, along with Isabella Pappas (Finding Alice) as Joyce Maldonaldo, Oscar Lloyd (The 47th) as James Hopper Jnr, Christopher Buckley (David Copperfield) as Bob Newby and Ella Karuna Williams (The Equalizer) as Patty Newby.
Talent to watch.
Stranger Things: The First Shadow is now playing at the Phoenix Theatre, and is currently booking to 25 August 2024.
Also see: Stranger Things: The First Shadow – Reviews Round-up
Book tickets to Stranger Things: The First Shadow at the Phoenix Theatre in London
Phoenix Theatre, London
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