NEWS - STRANGER THINGS: THE FIRST SHADOW ANNOUNCES NEW LEAD CAST AND WEST END EXTENSION
- Sarah Monaghan
- Aug 29
- 2 min read
The Olivier Award-winning West End production of Stranger Things: The First Shadow welcomes a thrilling new company from 12 November 2025 and extends its run until April 2026.
Netflix and Sonia Friedman Productions have revealed an exciting new lead cast joining the critically acclaimed, Olivier Award-winning, world première production of Stranger Things: The First Shadow in London’s West End. The show will now run at the Phoenix Theatre until 5 April 2026, marking its third year on the iconic stage.
New Cast Joins the West End Hit
From 12 November, the new lead cast will feature:
Jack Christou (Matilda The Musical, RSC) as Henry Creel
Stewart Clarke (Les Misérables, West End) as Dr Brenner
Avril Maponga (Witness for the Prosecution, London County Hall) as Patty Newby
Max Potter (A Monster Calls, Barn Theatre) as Bob Newby
Adam Wadsworth (The Merry Wives of Windsor, Shakespeare’s Globe) as James Hopper Jr.
Edie Wright in her professional stage debut as Joyce Maldonado
Further casting announcements will be made in due course.
To celebrate the show’s second anniversary in the West End, a limited number of tickets priced at £19.59 will be released for weekday performances from 18 November to 12 December 2025, available for 72 hours only.
Awards and Accolades
Since its West End debut in December 2023, Stranger Things: The First Shadow has received numerous accolades, including:
Olivier Awards for Best Entertainment and Best Set Design
Critics’ Circle Awards for Best Set Design and Most Promising Newcomer
WhatsOnStage Award for Best New Play
The production also opened on Broadway earlier this year, where it became the most nominated play of the 2025 season and won four Tony Awards, including a special Tony for Illusions and Technical Effects. The Broadway production is currently booking tickets at the Marquis Theatre through March 2026.
About the Production
Written by Kate Trefry from an original story by the Duffer Brothers, Jack Thorne, and Trefry, the play is directed by Stephen Daldry with co-direction from Justin Martin.
The creative team also includes:
Set Design: Miriam Buether
Costume Design: Brigitte Reiffenstuel
Lighting: Jon Clark
Sound Design: Paul Arditti
Original Music Composition, Orchestration, Arrangements & Supervision: D.J. Walde
Illusions & Visual Effects: Jamie Harrison & Chris Fisher
Video Design & Visual Effects: 59 Studio
Choreography: Coral Messam
Movement Direction: Lynne Page
Wigs, Hair & Make-Up Design: Campbell Young Associates
Technical Director: Gary Beestone
Props Supervision: Mary Halliday
Dialect Coaching: William Conacher
Casting: Jessica Ronane CDG; International casting consultancy by Jim Carnahan
A Story Set in 1959 Hawkins
Set in Hawkins, Indiana in 1959, the production explores the Creel family’s attempts to start anew, while their son Henry becomes entangled in events that foreshadow the horrors of Stranger Things.
In addition, the production has partnered with Go Live Theatre to host an Education Matinee on 21 November, offering tickets at £10 for students from state schools with high levels of pupil premium funding.
Tickets and Bookings
Tickets for the West End production of Stranger Things: The First Shadow are now available. Don’t miss your chance to see this award-winning spectacle before it concludes its extended run on 5 April 2026.
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