The Further
‘Stranger Things: The First Shadow’ – Hit Stage Play Confirms Extension into 2025 [Trailer]
Netflix expands upon the “Stranger Things Universe” with the brand new “Stranger Things: The First Shadow,” a live stage play that’s become a massive hit over in London.
Netflix and Sonia Friedman Productions today released the first look trailer for the critically acclaimed world premiere production of Stranger Things: The First Shadow. With some of the groundbreaking theatrical special effects teased on film for the first time, the show announces an extension into 2025 at the Phoenix Theatre.
Written by Kate Trefry and with direction by Stephen Daldry and co-director Justin Martin, the production opened to rave reviews at the Phoenix Theatre on December 14, 2023. The show, currently breaking box office records at Phoenix Theatre where it is now booking until February 16, 2025, has recently won several awards including the Olivier Awards for Best Entertainment and Best Set Design, the Critics’ Circle Awards for Best Set Design and Most Promising Newcomer, and the WhatsOnStage Award for Best New Play.
“Stranger Things: The First Shadow” is said to be a “new story live on stage,” and it’s set in Hawkins, 1959. “The First Shadow” takes place “before the world turned upside down.”
The cast includes Louis McCartney (Silent Roar, Hope Street, Game of Thrones) as Henry Creel, Ella Karuna Williams (The Equalizer) as Patty Newby and Patrick Vaill (Oklahoma!, Macbeth, Dash & Lily) as Dr. Brenner.
Oscar Lloyd (The 47th, Hotel Portofino, 4 O’Clock Club) takes on the role as Jim Hopper, Jr., Isabella Pappas (Finding Alice, The Villains of Valley View, The Nether) is Joyce Maldonado (Joyce Byers’ maiden name) and Christopher Buckley (David Copperfield, Orphans, Stig of the Dump) plays Bob Newby.
Then there’s Michael Jibson (Bodies, The Essex Serpent, Hamilton) as Victor Creel and Lauren Ward (Dear Evan Hansen, Matilda the Musical, Caroline, or Change) as Virginia Creel, Shane Attwooll (Wonder Woman 1984, Legend, The Last Days of Judas Iscariot) as Chief Hopper, Kemi Awoderu as Sue Anderson (Sue Sinclair’s maiden name), and Chase Brown as Lonnie Byers. Ammar Duffus plays Charles Sinclair, while Gilles Geary is Ted Wheeler and Florence Guy is Karen Childress (Karen Wheeler’s maiden name). Max Harwood plays Allen Munson, Matthew Pidgeon is Father Newby, Calum Ross is Walter Henderson, and Maisie Norma Seaton takes on the role of Claudia Henderson.
Tricia Adele-Turner, Lauren Arney, Reya-Nyomi Brown, Patricia Castro, Lydia Fraser, Isaac Gryn, Mark Hammersley, Tom Peters, Kingdom Sibanda, Tiana Simone, Danny Sykes and Meesha Turner are featured as well.
Here’s the official plot 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.
“Brought to life by a multi-award-winning creative team, who take theatrical storytelling and stagecraft to a whole new dimension, this gripping new adventure will take you right back to the beginning of the Stranger Things story – and may hold the key to the end.”
“My name is John Carpenter. I direct horror movies.” One year after receiving his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, John Carpenter was on hand at the Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony for actor Keith David yesterday, who of course worked with Carpenter on the legendary 1980s horror movies The Thing and They Live.
Keith David was honored with the 2,847th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on June 4 at 11:30 am PT. David received his star in the category of Motion Pictures. Joining emcee Ryan Bathe were Mayor Karen Bass, Lynn Whitfield, John Carpenter and John C. McGinley.
John Carpenter raved that Keith David is “an astonishing actor,” and both Carpenter’s speech and Keith David’s speech have made their way onto YouTube thanks to MaximoTV.
“I am trying to come up with a way to sum up Keith,” Carpenter told the crowd. “And I would say grace. That sums up the character of Keith David. My friend, I love you very much.”
“You deserve this,” Carpenter ended his quick speech.
“This for me has been an incredible year,” Keith David said during his own speech. “Today I turn 7-0. All my life I wanted to be an actor. I had a dream. And I got to pursue that dream. What you’re bearing witness to today is a man living his dream. Today is a great day. Filled with gratitude and blessings overflowing. But even on my not-so-great days, I’m still living my dream.”
You can watch the speeches from John Carpenter and Keith David below, along with the full live-streamed presentation of the ceremony honoring David with his Walk of Fame star.
From the official Hollywood Walk of Fame blog…
Keith David, born and raised in New York City, is a classically trained graduate of New York’s High School of Performing Arts and the Juilliard School. His work has earned him Screen Actors Guild and Tony Award nominations, as well as an NAACP Image Award and three Emmy Awards.
A frequent collaborator with documentarian Ken Burns, David has won three Emmys for his voiceover performances in Jackie Robinson, The War, and Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson. Keith also lent his narrational expertise to the documentaries Muhammad Ali and Leonardo da Vinci by Ken Burns, as well as the forthcoming Crime & Punishment in America.
Keith has enthralled viewers with his vocal talents in animated works such as The Princess and the Frog, Gargoyles, Hazbin Hotel, Rick and Morty, and the highly anticipated spinoff President Curtis. Keith appeared in the Oscar-winning film American Fiction, Nope, and classics such as Platoon, They Live, and The Thing. He is also known for his prolific work in films such as There’s Something About Mary, Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice, and the upcoming My New Friend Jim.
On the small screen, Keith co-stars in the FX series The Lowdown with Ethan Hawke, and completed five seasons starring as Bishop James Greenleaf in Greenleaf. He has also been featured in series such as Abbott Elementary and Community.
True to his reputation as an icon of stage and screen, Keith starred as Floyd Barton in Seven Guitars, was nominated for a Tony for his role as Chimney Man in Jelly’s Last Jam, and has toured with Too Marvelous for Words, playing the legendary Nat King Cole. Fulfilling a lifelong dream, Keith released a jazz album in February of 2026.
Keith’s philanthropic work includes supporting such charities as Inner City Youth Orchestra of L.A.. the Black Theatre Network, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Harvest Home L.A. and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF).
“Keith David has brought unforgettable characters to life throughout his extraordinary career, and it feels especially fitting that his Hollywood Walk of Fame star sits beside Nat King Cole’s — an artist he once portrayed with such grace and reverence. It’s a beautiful full-circle moment honoring two legendary talents,” said Ana Martinez, Producer, Hollywood Walk of Fame.
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