Stranger Things is still charting the long and winding path to its final season, between the Hollywood strikes, and the not-so-simple prospect of bringing an end to what is arguably Netflix’s most defining original series. An unexpected melding of those two issues? A West End play depicting the origin story of big bad Vecna.
That’s exactly what Stranger Things: The First Shadow is—set in 1959 Hawkins, the upcoming play is set to open in previews in London in just a few weeks, and will follow the high school trials and tribulations of a young Henry Creel, who’s moved to Hawkins with his family for a fresh start… only to find that the tragedies of his past that will eventually shape him into the creature known as Vecna are never too far behind.
Directed by Billy Elliot’s Stephen Daldry, the play will feature not just Creel and his family, but introduce younger versions of multiple characters from the show—including Jim Hopper, played in The First Shadow by Oscar Lloyd, Joyce Maldonado (Isabella Pappas), and Bob Newby (Christopher Buckley). It’ll also be bringing in new characters important to Creel’s story—like Patty Newby, played by Ella Karuna Williams, who isn’t just Bob’s sister but Henry’s budding love interest, and the core of the play.
Stranger Things: The First Shadow opens at the Phoenix Theater, London, in previews on November 17, before opening widely December 14.
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