Stranger Things: The First Shadow Play Gets Premiere Date on Broadway

It’s been two years since fans last got to see what was happening in Stranger Things and the suburban locale of Hawkins, Indiana, though fans in the UK have gotten to witness the Stranger Things: The First Shadow play, which takes place before the events of the Netflix series. The play was previously announced to be coming to Broadway, with today seeing the confirmation that the play will open at the Marquis Theatre next spring. With the final season of the series currently being filmed, it’s possible that The First Shadow could open on Broadway ahead of the series finale. Stranger Things: The First Shadow will begin previews on Friday, March 28, 2025 before officially opening on Tuesday, April 22, 2025.

The First Shadow is described, “Before the world turned upside down. 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.” You can check out a trailer from the UK production below.

Stranger Things: The First Shadow is directed by Stephen Daldry and Justin Martin, with the story being based on an original idea from series creators Matt and Ross Duffer. Casting has not yet begun for the Broadway production.

Stranger Things debuted in 2016 and has become a pop-culture powerhouse, inspiring games and comic books to further explore the world of the Upside Down. This stage play marks one of the most substantial extensions of the franchise, and while other spinoffs have yet to be confirmed, the Duffer brothers previously teased that The First Shadow was just the beginning.

“Expanding our world beyond the TV series is a thrilling experience, and collaborating with this incredible team, led by the inspiring Stephen Daldry, is a joyous process of discovery,” Matt and Ross Duffer previously said in a statement when the play was announced. “Bringing this new Stranger Things story to the stage, with live audiences, is a prospect that we find enormously exciting, and we are delighted that a city with such a rich theater culture as London will receive the world premiere of our new story. We can’t wait to share it with you.”    

Stranger Things: The First Shadow will begin previews on Friday, March 28, 2025 before officially opening on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. Stay tuned for updates on the final season of Stranger Things.  

Are you going to check out the play on Broadway? Contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter or on Instagram to talk all things Star Wars and horror!