Stranger Things: The First Shadow // Live on Broadway! August 2026
Stranger Things: The First Shadow follows the origin story of one of the series' main characters, Henry Creel, during his high school years. He is a major part of the fourth and fifth seasons of the show, and it's one of my favorite storylines in the entire series. I love everything about the Henry / Vecna / 001 developments in the fourth season especially, so to get a more in-depth look into who he is and why he became what he did in such an in-depth way is such a creative concept that they executed so well. It gives so much more clarity and depth to the timeline, filling in the gaps of what happened between the parts shown in the series.
I, without any exaggeration, had goosebumps for literally three hours straight. This was truly one of the most incredible performances I have ever gotten to see! This stage production predates much of what is shown at all in the series, particularly with following Henry transferring to Hawkins High School in 1959. There are a few new characters introduced in the play, as well as deeper insight given into the Creel family, as well as connections and backstories of characters who were in the series but played a more minor role. The parents of all the main characters were depicted in their high school years, most of which were just smaller recurring characters in the show and didn't get much of a backstory until now.
Joyce and Hopper were two of the core characters heavily featured in both the show and the stage production, and the actors portraying the younger versions of them really captured what makes the chemistry between their older counterparts in the series such fan favorites. Bob is also one of the main characters of the play, who played a relatively minor role in the second season of the show. To get to see more of his character was a cool creative direction this production took in bringing back some people that deserved more screen-time.
The show fully captured all of the comedic and horror elements that make up so much of Stranger Things simultaneously. It also featured some of the most incredible special effects I have ever seen in a Broadway production as well. It felt fully immersive and unlike anything else I've seen live. They went all the way in bringing the intensity of the story to life on stage, with fog billowing through the crowd and making it feel like the entire theater was part of the story. Some of the main cast members and backing actors even had several interactive moments down in the audience, which made everything feel even more alive.
The intensity of the opening sequence was unbelievable and offered an entirely new perspective on how all of this began with Hawkins Lab, Vecna, and The Upside Down as a whole. It honestly could be its own series set back in the early 1900s, decades even prior to this prequel. I won't give spoilers about the character or plot connections, but it gives way more new insight and depth into the story than the last season of the series even did.
When the iconic theme song started and title sequence dropped down as the fog filled the crowd, it was such a surreal, immersive moment. Again, the whole opening was insane and truly one of the best things I've ever seen live. It was all so intense, and then seeing the title sequence appear as if you were watching the show itself on Netflix was wild. There was also a technical difficulty early on, right at the start of the first scene in Hawkins High, which led to a clever moment where the buffering symbol appeared on a screen as if the show were streaming while the audience waited for the show to come back.
The First Shadow continually shifts between varying dimensions and moments of Henry trying to make sense of what's real and what's not, which in many ways mirrors Eleven's own journey throughout the series - especially her struggle to come into her powers and question whether she might be a villain in her own story too. The intense quick changes, the fighting between the inner and outer versions of himself, and the constant blurring of his mind versus reality were executed so brilliantly in real time on the stage. Being able to sympathize with a character who has only ever been depicted as a villainous, evil creature is a testament to how many evocative layers of storytelling the writers were able to pull from this narrative arc.
It was also really interesting to see how some of the plot from the stage production was woven into the final season of the series, especially the origins of how Henry ultimately got his powers and the deeper exploration of how multifaceted he is as a character. It also poses the age-old question of whether a villain is born evil, or if something happened in his life that made him become that way. It's a very Wicked‑esque trope in that sense, and it works so well here in the context of Henry too.
The second act's introduction of a younger version of one of the show's most iconic characters was especially amazing, adding even more depth to the Hawkins Lab storyline and filling in the aftermath of a pivotal moment from the series. I don't want to spoil much else, because it's such an incredible show that I went into mostly blind, aside from the existing lore and the familiar characters who appear throughout. That ended up being the best way to experience it.
I still get chills every time I think about the final scene. It gives me goosebumps just writing about it now, and it leads perfectly into the events of the fourth season. Right when the curtain dropped and the credits rolled, Netflix's "continue watching" icon appeared at the bottom of the screen, which is another really clever touch that brough the streaming element of the show into the real world in such a fun way, just before the cast came back out for their final bows.
It's been ten years since I last went to a Broadway show and this fully re-sparked my itch to keep seeing more of them! I already have another I'm hoping to see later this year, which I'm really looking forward to as well. It's been a few weeks since I saw The First Shadow and it is without a doubt a show I've been thinking about so much every day since!
The First Shadow will likely be released on Netflix after it closes in early 2027, so if you don't have the chance to see it in New York City or London between now and then, it is a must-see when it becomes more widely available on streaming. Also, if you're interested in diving even deeper into the lore, especially all of the Hawkins Lab history, then definitely check out a great book called Suspicious Minds, written within the Stranger Things universe.
This has truly been the summer of Stranger Things for me - from seeing Djo live, to visiting Netflix House Philadelphia (twice), to now seeing this show on Broadway, and so much more. It's been so fun and I wrote about all of it and more here - with many more exciting posts to come!
Thanks for reading!
All photos are my own!
Related Posts:
Stranger Things: The Immersive Experience // Netflix House Philadelphia
Stranger Things: The WSQK Collection // Target Exclusive Vinyl
"Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)" by Kate Bush // Song Review
"End of Beginning" by Djo // UK exclusive cassette + Song Review
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