Internationally recognised art and literary critic, writer and cultural producer. Published in ELLE, Glamour, Esquire and Cosmopolitan; member of the Union of Writers.
Stranger Things is one of Netflix’s most successful shows, with millions of viewers around the world hooked on its blend of sci-fi, horror, nostalgia, and friendship. But did you know that there is a whole other side to this story? A side that takes place in 1959, when everything changed for our favorite characters.
That’s where Stranger Things: The First Shadow comes in. This new play from Netflix and Sonia Friedman Productions is a prequel to the hit series that reveals how it all began. It follows a group of kids who live in Hawkins, Indiana, a small town that hides a dark secret: a portal to another dimension called the Upside Down.
The play is written by Kate Trefry, who has been working on Stranger Things since its first season as a staff writer. She says that she wanted to explore “the human side” of these characters before they became famous or infamous. “I wanted to see what they were like as kids,” she says. “What they were afraid of, what they loved, what they dreamed about.”
Trefry also says that she wanted to pay homage to some of her favorite movies and TV shows from her childhood in the 1980s. “I grew up watching Steven Spielberg’s E.T., John Carpenter’s Halloween, Stephen King’s Carrie,” she says. “I wanted to capture that sense of wonder and terror that those stories gave me.”
The play features some familiar faces from Stranger Things as well as new ones. Winona Ryder plays Joyce Byers, Will Byers’ mother who searches for him after he disappears into the Upside Down. David Harbour plays Jim Hopper, Joyce’s husband who becomes Will’s surrogate father after he adopts Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), a girl with telekinetic powers who escaped from a secret lab where she was experimented on.
But there are also new characters who will introduce us to some of the show’s main antagonists: Henry Creel (Louis McCartney) and Dr Brenner (Patrick Vaill). Henry Creel is Will Byers’ older brother who moves into Hawkins with his father Victor (John Cho), who suffers from mental illness after being exposed to radiation at his job at Hawkins Lab. Dr Brenner is Dr Witten (Joe Keery), one of Will’s teachers at Hawkins High School who secretly runs experiments on children at Hawkins Lab.
The play also features some actors from other Netflix shows such as Sex Education (Asa Butterfield), The Queen’s Gambit (Thomas Brodie-Sangster), and When They See Us (Aunjanue Ellis). Trefry says that she wanted to cast actors who could bring their own personalities and perspectives to their roles.
The play is directed by Steven Daldry, who has worked with Trefry on several projects such as Harry Potter And The Cursed Child (a stage adaptation based on J.K Rowling’s novel) and The Crown (a historical drama series about Queen Elizabeth II). Daldry says that he was drawn to Stranger Things because he loves its “sense of adventure” and “sense of humor”. He says that he wanted to create a play that would be “funny but thrilling” for both old fans and new ones.
Daldry also says that he wanted to make sure that the play was faithful to both Stranger Things seasons four and five (which are currently in production). He says that he consulted with Trefry extensively about how much information he could reveal without spoiling too much or contradicting too much.
One thing he can reveal is this: The play will have some surprises for fans who have watched all four seasons or read all five books by J.K Rowling (which are set in parallel universes). He says that there will be some Easter eggs hidden throughout the script for those who pay attention.
Stranger Things: The First Shadow is currently playing at the Palace Theatre in London until April 2024. It will then move to Broadway in New York and other major cities around the world. Tickets are available on Netflix’s website and other online platforms.
If you are a fan of Stranger Things, you don’t want to miss this opportunity to see how it all started. You will laugh, you will scream, you will cry, and you will be amazed by the incredible performances and special effects. You will also get a glimpse of what’s to come in season four and five of the show, which are expected to be the most epic and shocking yet.
So what are you waiting for? Grab your friends, grab your tickets, and get ready to enter the world of Stranger Things: The First Shadow. It’s a journey you will never forget.
