Stranger Things unveils cast for West End spin-off The First Shadow
Fan favourites such as Hopper, Joyce and Dr Brenner will be played by new stars in the stage spin-off.
Rehearsals are now underway for the Stranger Things West End stage show, Stranger Things: The First Shadow, and to mark the moment Netflix has released a full list of the cast.
The show, which is being directed by Stephen Daldry (The Crown) with co-direction by Justin Martin (The Lovers), will star Shane Attwooll as Chief Hopper, Jim's father, while Kemi Awoderu will play Sue Anderson and Chase Brown will play Lonnie Byers.
Meanwhile, Christopher Buckley will take on Sean Astin's role of Bob Newby, Ammar Duffus will portray Charles Sinclair, Gilles Geary will feature as Ted Wheeler, Florence Guy will play Karen Childress and Max Harwood will play Allen Munson.
Michael Jibson will play Victor Creel, Oscar Lloyd will play James Hopper Jr (the role originated by David Harbour), Louis McCartney will play Henry Creel (AKA Vecna), Isabella Pappas will play Joyce Maldonado (Winona Ryder's role in the series), Matthew Pidgeon will play Father Newby, Calum Ross will play Walter Henderson and Maisie Norma Seaton will play Claudia Henderson.
The cast will be rounded out by Patrick Vaill as Dr Brenner, originally portrayed by Matthew Modine, as well as Lauren Ward as Virginia Creel and Ella Karuna Williams as Patty Newby.
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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 will all take on currently undisclosed roles.
Daldry and Martin said: "With rehearsals now underway, it’s a joy to discover the world of Stranger Things: The First Shadow with our ferociously talented cast and watch the alchemy amongst our entire company grow as we together explore this new play.
"They’re an extraordinarily gifted group of actors, and we can’t wait to share this origin story with audiences."
Meanwhile, Stranger Things creators Matt and Ross Duffer said: "The cast of Stranger Things: The First Shadow is nothing short of phenomenal.
"These actors brilliantly explore the early days of many fan favorites - including Hopper, Joyce, Bob, Henry and Dr Brenner - while also bringing new characters to vivid life. We couldn’t be more thrilled and can’t wait for you to meet them all live on stage. See you in London, nerds!"
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The show, which will open at the Phoenix Theatre on 14th December, will be set in Hawkins in 1959, with the official synopsis saying: "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 seasons 1-4 are available on Netflix now. Sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
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Authors
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
