Actor Louis McCartney will reprise his West End performance as Henry Creel in the upcoming Broadway production of Stranger Things: The First Shadow, producers Netflix and Sonia Friedman Productions announced today.
McCartney will be making his Broadway debut when the play begins previews at the Marquis Theatre on Friday, March 28, 2025, ahead of an official opening on Tuesday, April 22. McCartney will play his final performance in London on Sunday, November 10, 2024.
McCartney made his professional stage debut originating the role of Henry in the West End production, earning him The Stage 2024 Debut Award for Best Performer in a Play and the Critics’ Circle Award for Most Promising Newcomer.
“Louis is an astonishing actor, and we are unbelievably proud of the incredible life he has breathed into the role of Henry Creel onstage in the West End,” said director Stephen Daldry and co-director Justin Martin in a statement. “From the moment we first met him, we knew he was special, and we are thrilled that Broadway audiences will have the opportunity to witness his extraordinary performance.”
McCartney’s other credits include Games of Thrones, Hope Street, Silent Roar, and William of Orangedale.
Additional casting will be announced at a later date.
Based on an original story by the Duffer Brothers, Jack Thorne and Kate Trefry, and rooted in the mythology and world of the Netflix series, Stranger Things: The First Shadow is a new play written by Trefry.
The synopsis: “Before the world turned upside down. 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 will feature set design by Miriam Buether, costume design by Brigitte Reiffenstuel, lighting design by Jon Clark, sound design by Paul Arditti, original music composition, orchestration, arrangements and supervision by D.J. Walde, illusions design & visual effects by Jamie Harrison & Chris Fisher, video design & visual effects by 59, choreography by Coral Messam, movement direction by Lynne Page, and wigs, hair and make-up design by Campbell Young Associates.
The play had its world premiere production at the Phoenix Theatre in London’s West End, where it is now on sale through April 6, 2025. It is produced by Netflix and Sonia Friedman Productions. The Duffer Brothers act as creative producers, with 21 Laps Entertainment as associate producer.
McCartney is represented by Ollie Azis at Independent Talent Group.
