Grey's Anatomy's T.R. Knight, Nickelodeon's Gabrielle Nevaeh and More Join Stranger Things: The First Shadow

Additional casting has been announced for Stranger Things: The First Shadow. The theatrical prequel to the Netflix science fiction-horror series will begin performances at Broadway's Marquis Theatre on March 28, 2025 with an official opening set for April 22.

As previously reported, Louis McCartney, who originated the role of Henry Creel in the show in the West End, will reprise his performance on Broadway. He will be joined by Rosie Benton (Patriots) as Virginia Creel, Alex Breaux (Stranger Things season five) as Dr. Brenner, Nicky Eldridge as Bob Newby, Andrew Hovelson (Lucky Guy) as Principal Newby, Alison Jaye (Shameless) as Joyce Maldonado, Emmy Award nominee T.R. Knight (Grey’s Anatomy) as Victor Creel, Emmy Award nominee Gabrielle Nevaeh (Nickelodeon’s That Girl Lay Lay) as Patty Newby and Burke Swanson (Back to the Future) as James Hopper, Jr.

Set 24 years before the events of the first season, the show features younger versions of Stranger Things characters James “Jim” Hopper Jr., Joyce Maldonado and Bob Newby (played by David Harbour, Winona Ryder and Sean Astin in the series).

Hawkins, 1959: a regular town with regular worries. Young Jim Hopper’s car won’t start, Bob Newby’s sister won’t take his radio show seriously and Joyce Maldonado just wants to graduate and get the hell out of town. When new student Henry Creel arrives, his family finds that a fresh start isn’t so easy. And the shadows of the past have a very long reach.

Stranger Things: The First Shadow is written by Kate Trefry, a staff writer on the Netflix show, from an original story by Trefry, show creators Matt and Ross Duffer and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child playwright Jack Thorne. The show had its world premiere in the West End, opening at the Phoenix Theatre on November 17, 2023, where it continues to run. The production won the Olivier Award for Best Entertainment or Comedy Play.