Stranger Things, Broadway’s most anticipated show of 2025, will officially open on Earth Day, April 22nd — an ironic choice for something that feels out of this world.
Whether or not you’ve ventured to the Upside Down beforehand, the sci-fi spectacle promises to be an amazing story for newcomers and die-hard fans alike, according to the Broadway show and Netflix series writer, Kate Trefry.
“That is the mandate: Anyone who comes in off the street has to be able to see this play and have it be a coherent story,” she told Playbill. “When the human part of it, when the grounded, dramatic part of it really delivers, then all the sci-fi is allowed to take flight.”
The play, properly titled Stranger Things: The First Shadow, is a prequel into Vecna’s backstory and shows fans a side of Hawkins, Indiana, they’ve never seen before. It’s been playing overseas in the U.K. since 2023 and continues hook audiences from the get-go with its otherworldly shenanigans, dynamic characters, and relatability.
“It’s the ultimate coming-of-age identity crisis I think that we all go through—I certainly did, of being like, ‘Oh, I want all these bad things. I feel all these bad things. Does that mean, I’m bad,” Kate adds. “That’s the question everyone’s asking the whole time: ‘Who are you and what are you and why?”
And but of course, those familiar with the series can’t help but ask if what they’re about to see on stage is going to affect Stranger Things’ fifth and final season, which will stream on Netflix later in 2025. Well, yes — but don’t exactly expect for it to be too obvious. Kate assures us there will be connections and Easter eggs sprinkled throughout the play, but she remains mum when discussing specifics and the question we’re all wondering: are we going to actually see Vecna in a new light and actually…sympathize with him? It looks like you’re going to have to head to Hawkins to find out!
🗓️ From April 22nd
📍 Marquis Theatre: 46th Street between Broadway & 8th Ave