'Before the world turned upside down': 'Stranger Things' play 'The First Shadow' to debut later this year in London
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The world of Hawkins and Upside Down is finally coming to the stage. The 'Stranger Things' play is titled 'The First Shadow' and is set to come to London later this year. 'Stranger Things' recently released a new promo on Instagram, giving a glimpse into the play.
'Stranger Things' is undoubtedly one of Netflix's most popular shows, with a worldwide fanbase. The Netflix series has an amazing ensemble including Winona Ryder as Joyce Byers, David Harbour as Jim Hopper, Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven, Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler, Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson, Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair, Sadie Sink as Max Mayfield, Noah Schnapp as Will Byers, Natalia Dyer as Nancy Wheeler, Joe Keery as Steve Harrington, Maya Hawke as Robin Buckley and Charlie Heaton as Jonathan Byers.
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'The First Shadow'
The recently released teaser of 'The First Shadow' has provided some information about the upcoming play. It is set in the year 1959, almost 25 years prior to the premise of 'Stranger Things'. Another important fact to be noted is that March 1959 is the year Vecna aka Henry Creel moves into a new house in Hawkins. The play is set to focus on the world before it turned upside down.
It has also been specified that the stage play is not based on any of the episodes of the series but rather a new story that focuses on the beginning of the events that led to what happens in the series. It has also been confirmed that the play is set to commence at the Phoenix Theatre in London, later this year. The official caption on Instagram reads, "Welcome to Hawkins, 1959. Before the world turned upside down…Stranger Things: The First Shadow. A new story live on stage. London | Late 2023 | StrangerThingsOnStage.com".
What do we know about the play so far?
The script of 'The First Shadow' is written by Kate Trefry, with the original story from Trefry, the series’ creators the Duffer brothers, and playwright Jack Thorne. The play is set to be directed by Stephen Daldry. Daldry is said to have been working with the special effects team for a year to perfect the magic tricks and illusions for the play. 'The First Shadow' sets up the future of 'Stranger Things', according to Deadline. Speaking about the collaboration with Daldry, the Duffer brothers have previously described the whole experience as inspiring. The brothers have also confirmed that the play will introduce newer characters as well as feature some familiar ones.
"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," they said.
The first four seasons of 'Stranger Things' is currently streaming on Netflix.