Netflix’sStranger Thingshas evolved so much throughout its four seasons and decade of existence, leading to a final season that’s shaping up to be as dramatic as we could possibly imagine. While we prepare for the emotional destruction the end will inevitably bring, there’s something else fans of the series should turn to in the meantime.
Stranger Things: The First Shadow is a West End production that first premiered in December 2023. The play explores Hawkins in 1959, serving as a prequel to the show and a deeper look into Henry Creel and the dark beginnings of terror in a small Indiana town.
The production had continued runs in the West End in 2024, and hit Broadway in the US in spring of 2025. Finally, the show will be returning for a final run in September 2025, once more in the West End’s Phoenix Theatre. I was fortunate enough to see it in London last year. Before it finally goes away, this is something you won’t want to miss.
It’s difficult to say this is a must-see for fans of the show when the showings are so limited, but here’s hoping Netflix eventually releases a recording of the production on streaming.
The First Shadow Adds So Much To The Stranger Things Story
I’ll be avoiding larger spoilers for the play, but will touch on moments of the production, so if you’d rather not know anything, click away.
As I mentioned earlier, the production is largely set in 1959, though we are given a prologue before the classic Stranger Things title screen plays out, making use of harsh neon-red lights and the iconic synth music to accompany the title card revealing itself on the stage screen. This prologue follows a project aboard a US military ship in the 1940s, as part of an experiment to turn the ship invisible to win the war against the Germans. However, rather than just turning invisible, the ship is transported to somewhere known as Dimension X, where the crew is quickly slaughtered by Demogorgons. The only survivor is Captain Brenner, father to the show’s Martin Brenner.
The play continues on to explore the story of a young Henry Creel who, after exposure to Dimension X for 12 hours, was plagued with powers and the influence of the Mind Flayer. It’s a deeper look into his family and his short life in Hawkins, and how he desperately wants to be normal and become closer to his love interest, Patty Newby.
Following this storyline, we’re given a deeper understanding of who Martin Brenner is and why he’s so obsessed with this other dimension, leading up to the earliest stages of his projects and the facility in which he housed children with special powers, including Henry - or 001.
If you’re interested in these elements surrounding Brenner, you should also read the official novel, Stranger Things: Suspicious Minds.
Other storylines explore a young Joyce Byers, Bob Newby, and Jim Hopper during their time in high school. We see Joyce’s desperation to leave Hawkins, Bob’s obsession with technology, and Hopper’s complicated relationship with his police chief father.
It’s particularly interesting to see these characters portrayed before many of their biggest trials, such as Hopper’s time in New York and the loss of his daughter. There’s a lot to know about Hopper and the time before the show, and you don’t want to miss it before we dive into the final season.
It’s me again. If you’re interested in more of Hopper (and why wouldn’t you be?), you should also read theotherofficial tie-in novel, Stranger Things: Darkness on the Edge of Town.
It’s a play that gives us more context behind many of the things we know so well in Stranger Things, while also opening up more questions. Some of the content originally intended to be put into The First Shadow was also cut by request of the Duffer brothers, as it would dip into things they wanted to save for Stranger Things 5.
If you’re unable to see the show but want to learn a lot more about the events of it before Season 5, thenhere’s a great summary posted by u/CaroSJ on the Stranger Things subreddit. Of course, it goes without saying, this post is nothing but spoilers.
The First Shadow Is One Of The Best West End Productions I’ve Seen
Plot points aside, The First Shadow is an incredible feat of theatrical production. Seeing it in person outshone every other play I’ve seen, and what the cast and crew are able to pull off in real-time is nothing short of magic.
Colossal pieces of set design can switch in and out in a single moment, giving us glimpses of Dimension X, the void, the Mind Flayer, as well as the brutality of Henry Creel’s capabilities. The Creel family murder we witness in Stranger Things 4 is replicated in the play, and they pull it off perfectly, right down to the harrowingly snapped limbs.
If you’re interested in seeing more of the work put into bringing the show to life, you can watch the documentary, Behind the Curtain: Stranger Things The First Shadow, on Netflix to see how it all came together.
Stranger Things: The First Shadow is an incredible production that explores so much of what we know and don’t know in Stranger Things, and if you’re able to see the show before Season 5, I urge you to do so. I’m also continuing to hope that the production is eventually released in full on Netflix, as while it’s certainly a special experience, it shouldn’t be left exclusively to those who were fortunate enough to make the trip.
