It’s time to demigor-go to Broadway!
Stranger Things debuted on Netflix to cult popularity in 2016. Now, nearly 10 years later, it has taken over to the Broadway stage.
A new play, titled Stranger Things: The First Shadow, opened April 22 at Marquis Theater in New York City following its successful premiere on London’s West End in December 2023 (where it is still playing). The work employed a starry creative team with talents from the screen and stage. It was directed by Tony winner Stephen Daldry with Justin Martin, and written by Stranger Things writer and producer Kate Trefry with the Duffer Brothers — who created the TV show — and Jack Thorne, who adapted Harry Potter for the stage.
The stage show is a prequel to the Stranger Things series. Set in 1959 — decades before the events of the 1980s-based series — it dives into the origin of Henry Creel, who eventually becomes the big bad, Vecna. The production features several familiar characters from the series, including Jim Hopper, Joyce Maldonado and Bob Newby, as high school students.
Speaking to PEOPLE in an exclusive interview ahead of the Broadway premiere, Trefry opened up about writing the teenaged versions of the beloved characters. “I did a lot of work trying to reverse engineer the characters from where they were when we first met them, to who they might have been as kids,” the writer explained. “Every version of them in the play is more raw, less refined and more innocent, but the seeds of who they become are all there.”
Trefry explained that the backstories of the characters revolve around the “major events of the play, so that it’s the play that changes them all into the people that we then recognize in the TV show.”
“This is the scar that they all share,” she said. “And they all react in different ways to the same bizarre and tragic events. Hopper goes to a place of guilt and Joyce goes to a place of loyalty and protectiveness.”
With so many familiar names on stage, keeping up with who’s who can be a struggle. Here’s a look at the original TV cast side-by-side with the Broadway show’s new stars.
Henry Creel: Louis McCartney and Jamie Campbell Bower
Jamie Campbell Bower first brought the troubled Henry Creel to life in season 4 of Stranger Things — a role he is expected to reprise in the anticipated fifth and final season. The actor is also known for his role as Caius in multiple Twilight films, young Gellert Grindelwald in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, and Anthony in the 2007 movie musical adaptation of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. More recently, he starred in Kevin Costner’s Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1.
McCartney originated the role of Henry on Broadway and the West End. The former nabbed him a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor in a Play. The actor has played guest roles in Game of Thrones and The Tourist, starred in the Irish crime drama Hope Street and made his movie debut in 2023’s Silent Roar.
Virginia Creel: Rosie Benton and Tyner Rushing
Tyner Rushing played Virginia Creel, a.k.a. Henry’s mom, in two episodes of Stranger Things season 4. The actress is also known for her work on the TV shows Lovecraft Country, The Terminal List and For All Mankind.
Rosie Benton brings the matriarch to the Great White Way. The stage star was previously seen in 2024’s Broadway production of Patriots and Off-Broadway’s Illyria in 2017 at The Public Theater. Other Broadway credits include The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Accent On Youth and Stick Fly.
Victor Creel: T.R. Knight and Kevin L. Johnson
Kevin L. Johnson played Victor Creel, Henry’s father, in Stranger Things season 4. He portrayed the patriarch as a young adult, while scream king Robert Englund played an older version of the character. Johnson is also known for his roles in Ozark and Florida Man.
T.R. Knight, meanwhile, plays Victor on the stage. The actor had a five-season arc in Grey’s Anatomy, before reprising his character in the 17th season of the hit medical drama. He also starred on screen in The Flight Attendant and The Good Wife. Knight last appeared on the Main Stem in the 2014 revival of Terrence McNally’s It’s Only a Play.
Dr. Brenner: Alex Breaux and Matthew Modine
What hasn’t Matthew Modine been in? The actor has played Dr. Martin Brenner, nicknamed “Papa,” in Stranger Things since season 1. He has had an illustrious career over the decades, starring in the 1980s movies Birdy and Vision Quest. Modine is also known for his roles in 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises and 2023’s Oppenheimer. He was most recently seen in the Netflix series Zero Day.
Alex Breaux, who plays the morally corrupt doctor on the stage, also has a special connection to the Stranger Things series. He is set to star in the upcoming fifth season in an undisclosed role. Other credits include American Primeval and Joe Pickett. The actor made his Broadway debut in the 2014 revival of Tom Stoppard’s The Real Thing, opposite Ewan McGregor and Maggie Gyllenhaal.
Joyce Maldonado: Alison Jaye and Winona Ryder
Winona Ryder has played Joyce Maldonado in Stranger Things since season 1. The Golden Globe winner had her breakthrough role in 1988’s Beetlejuice as Lydia Deetz, a role that she reprised in the 2024 sequel. Other credits include Heathers, Edward Scissorhands, Girl, Interrupted, 1994’s Little Women, Star Trek and Black Swan.
Alison Jaye steps into the role of Joyce on Broadway, after having starred in productions of Sunday in the Park with George and Mary Poppins. On screen, she had a four-episode stint in Shameless and appeared in one episode of High Potential.
James Hopper: Burke Swanson and David Harbour
David Harbour has portrayed James Hopper Jr. — commonly referred to just as Hopper — since season one of Stranger Things. The actor, newly minted as a Marvel star, has made a name for himself on stage and screen. Harbour’s previous credits include Brokeback Mountain, Suicide Squad, and Hellboy, before his Marvel debut in 2021’s Black Widow as Alexei Shostakov. He reprised the superhero role in 2025’s Thunderbolts* and will star in 2026’s Avengers: Doomsday. As for theater, Harbour was nominated for a Tony Award for 2005’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. He also starred on the Main Stem in the 2012 revival of Glengarry Glen Ross and on West End in 2022’s Mad House.
Burke Swanson takes over the role of Hopper for the stage show. The actor made his Broadway debut in the 2019 revival of The Rose Tattoo and later starred in the national tour of the Back to the Future musical. He also starred in the Prime Video series Harlem.
Bob Newby: Juan Carlos and Sean Astin
Sean Astin starred as Bob Newby in the second and third seasons of Stranger Things. The actor is best known for his roles in 1985’s The Goonies and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. His other movie credits include Encino Man and 50 First Dates. On the small screen, he has appeared in 24, The Strain and The Conners.
Juan Carlos makes his Broadway debut as Bob in the play. He previously made appearances in single episodes of Grey’s Anatomy, The Sex Lives of College Girls and Elsbeth.
Karen Childress: Dora Dolphin and Cara Buono
Cara Buono has been on a journey with Karen Childress since season 1 of Stranger Things, which introduces her with the married last name Wheeler. Karen is the mom of the series leads Mike and Nancy Wheeler, played by Finn Wolfhard and Natalie Dyer. Buono is best known on screen for her roles in Mad Men and The Sopranos.
Dora Dolphin made her Broadway debut as Karen in the play. She previously starred in the Nickelodeon original movie A Loud House Christmas.
Ted Wheeler: Joe Chrest and Jamie Martin Mann
Joe Chrest has played Ted Wheeler, the husband of Karen, since season 1 of Stranger Things. The actor previously starred in 21 Jump Street, Where the Crawdads Sing and 2024’s Fly Me to the Moon.
Jamie Martin Mann made his Broadway debut as Ted in the stage production. He has also starred in Netflix’s Country Comfort and had a year-long stint in the long-running soap opera Days of Our Lives.
Lonnie Byers: Logan Gould and Ross Partridge
Ross Partridge played Lonnie Byers, Joyce’s ex husband, in season 1 of Stranger Things. His other credits on screen include Billions, Insecure and Daisy Jones & the Six.
Logan Gould made his Broadway debut as Lonnie in the play.
Claudia Yount: Shea Grant and Catherine Curtain
Catherine Curtin has played Claudia Yount since season 2 of Stranger Things, when she took over the role from Tabitha Kilgore, who appeared in one episode of the first season. Claudia is introduced in the series with the married last name Henderson, and is the mom of Dustin Henderson, played by Gaten Matarazzo. Curtin’s credits include Orange is the New Black, Homeland and Insecure.
Shea Grant makes her Broadway debut as Claudia in the play. She previously guested in episodes of FBI and Law and Order: SVU.
Patty Newby: Gabrielle Navaeh
The character Patty Newby has yet to appear in the Stranger Things series — although, she is the sister of Bob, so many fans speculate that the character will be mentioned or even appear in the forthcoming season of the show. (Playwright Trefry previously told PEOPLE that the stage production and the season 5 are “part of the same story.”)
Gabrielle Navaeh makes her Broadway debut as Patty in the stage production. The actress previously starred in the Nickelodeon shows All That and The Girl Lay Lay, as well as the cult-favorite Monster High animated series. She was nominated for an Emmy Award in 2022 for her work on Nick News.
Read the full article here