The Upside Down is coming to the West End, with a brand new Stranger Things play set to debut.
Based on an original story by Stranger Things creators The Duffer Brothers, alongside The Cursed Child‘s Jack Thorne and Stranger Things writer and co-executive producer Kate Trefry, the play will be called Stranger Things: The First Shadow and has been written by Trefry.
The play promises to take you back to the beginning of the Stranger Things story with both existing and new characters. It’s set in Hawkins, Indiana, where the events of the Netflix series take place. But it’s 1959, 20 years before the events of the series, so we’ll meet younger versions of residents Jim Hopper, Joyce Maldonado, Bob Newby, and Henry Creel, who eventually becomes the villainous Vecna. The Duffer Brothers said in a press statement the story would be “on a journey into the past that sets the groundwork for the future of Stranger Things.”
Big time Creel to Vecna vibe.
Credit: Netflix
Here’s the plot preview:
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.
Directed by Stephen Daldry with co-direction by Justin Martin, the show will open in late 2023 at the Phoenix Theatre in London — dates are yet to be released. Netflix is producing, of course, along with Sonia Friedman Productions.
“We are beyond excited about Stranger Things: The First Shadow,” said Matt and Ross Duffer in a press statement. “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!”
How do I get a ticket to the Stranger Things play?
It’s obviously the next question, right? You can now register for priority access to tickets from strangerthingsonstage.com(Opens in a new tab).
Further information on tickets and release dates, as well as performance dates and casting will come soon.
