It’s time to head back to Hawkins – way back. Instead of the D&D-obsessed 1980s setting, the upcoming stage show for Stranger Things is taking a trip back in time to 1959, where a certain future police chief can’t catch a break and a Big Bad arrives in Indiana…
Yes, the first look at the cast for Stranger Things: The First Shadow is here. As you can see below, Oscar Lloyd plays Hopper, Isabella Pappas plays Joyce, and Christopher Buckley is Bob Newby.
Step into Hawkins 1959 with the cast of #StrangerThingsOnStage.Before they were a chief, a mother, and a superhero…they were classmates. Oscar Lloyd is James Hopper, Jr.Isabella Pappas is Joyce MaldonadoChristopher Buckley is Bob Newby pic.twitter.com/SlYYlcsl7JSeptember 20, 2023
We’ve also got the first looks at Dr. Brenner (Patrick Vaill) and Henry Creel, AKA Vecna (Louis McCartney). Curiously enough, Henry is also paired with Bob’s sister Patty (Ella Karuna Williams) in one cast photo.
Ummm, what’s future Vecna doing with Bob Newby’s sister?!Louis McCartney is Henry CreelElla Karuna Williams is Patty Newby#StrangerThingsOnStage pic.twitter.com/3wMbe0TCpNSeptember 20, 2023
What can we expect from the Stranger Things stage show, which opens on December 14 in London (with previews from November 17)? As per the show’s synopsis: “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.”
The First Shadow, then, should chart the origins of the nefarious goings-on in Hawkins – and the tangled web between those inhabitants which reach back decades. Intriguingly, ‘Chief Hopper’ is also listed in the cast, played by Shane Attwooll. Is that Hopper’s dad? Or are we getting some future shenanigans that could play into Stranger Things season 5? Eddie Munson's dad, Allen, is also present in the stage show.
Speaking of, Stranger Things season 5 is the show’s final season. The Netflix series will say farewell to The Hellfire Club, with producer Shawn Levy telling Total Film that we can expect a blockbuster scale for the upcoming episodes, which haven’t yet been filmed.
For more, here are the best Netflix shows and best Netflix movies to watch right now.
