Inside Netflix’s Stranger Things Play in London’s West End
The writer and co-director of Stranger Things: The First Shadow discuss tie-ins to Season 5, epic musical needle drops and how there are no limits to the stage magic.
Young Henry Creel versus the Demogorgon.
Photographer: Manuel HarlanA new era for Hawkins, Indiana, is taking shape on London’s West End. Performances are underway for Stranger Things: The First Shadow at the Phoenix Theatre, with opening night set for Dec. 14. The show, a prequel to Netflix Inc.’s smash-hit TV series focuses on younger versions of characters familiar to fans of the show—like Joyce, Hopper, Bob and Henry—alongside some fresh ones. The action shifts from the 1980s to 1959.
“Stranger Things, at the core of it, is about a group of kids who are outsiders who come together to find their community, and the story for our play is the same,” says co-director Justin Martin, speaking with Bloomberg from the rehearsal room. “It’s also about Henry Creel, and how he ended up being who he is.”