STRANGER THINGS: THE FIRST SHADOW – BROADWAY. (L-R) T.R. Knight as Victor Creel, Louis McCartney as Henry Creel, and Rosie Benton as Virginia Creel in Netflix’s Stranger Things: The First Shadow at Marquis Theatre on Broadway. Photo Cr. Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman/Netflix
It’s time to head back to 1959 Hawkins—this time from the comfort of your living room. Following years of rumors and intense fan speculation, it appears Netflix is finally capturing the stage magic of Stranger Things: The First Shadow to watch from the comfort of your living room. With Broadway performances reportedly paused this week to facilitate a professional “pro-shot” filming, the stage is set for this crucial prequel to reach a wider audience, providing essential lore that bridges the gap to the fifth and final season.
Collider reported the news earlier today, citing sources who said a recording would take place late last year and that it is happening this week, with performances from February 10th through the 14th canceled to facilitate filming. Netflix has yet to officially confirm it themselves. They didn’t state whether it’d be the Broadway or West End performance (both have different casts), though they do suggest it will be the Broadway offering, given the cast members cited. We couldn’t find tickets for either the New York or London performances all this week.
The stage play headed to Netflix has long been rumored and long discussed, but every time we’ve reached out to sources over the past couple of years, we’ve been told there are no current plans. We approached Netflix last week regarding one of the spin-offs we’ve heard is in development (which doesn’t align with this recording), and they declined to comment.
The stage play coming to Netflix has long been rumored because it provides key details about the main show’s lore, which would have been very helpful for those watching season 5. It serves as a prequel of sorts to the main show, detailing Henry Creel’s time in high school (alongside the likes of Bob Newby, Hopper, and Joyce) and his coming to terms with his newly acquired powers and curse following his touching of the mysterious stone that provided him with a link to the Mind Flayer.
As it currently stands, tickets for the Broadway play are still on sale through to at least September 2026 and in the West End in London through at least May 2026. The Broadway play announced some cast changes today. I’ve covered the play before and can honestly say that if you can afford the pricey tickets and make the trip, it’s an essential watch, and watching it on a TV screen won’t do it justice, no matter how well it’s done.
Picture Credit: Stranger Things on Stage
Stage plays hitting streaming services isn’t entirely new; one of Disney+’s biggest-ever releases was the filmed performance of Hamilton, which continues to perform well to this day, both on Disney+ and in ticket sales.
Until the live-recording hits Netflix, you can get close to watching with Behind the Curtain: Stranger Things The First Shadow, a documentary that was released in April 2025, which provides insight from the creative team and cast of the show just ahead of its West End debut.
Stranger Things: The First Shadow is directed by Stephen Daldry and co-directed by Justin Martin. The Duffer Brothers, Jack Thorne, and Kate Trefry are behind the script. The show runs for 2 hours and 45 minutes, so it’ll be interesting to see if that runtime gets cut dramatically for a movie rendition or split into multiple episodes. We’d guess the latter, given that the show itself is split into chapters, much like the mothership show.
Are you hoping Netflix brings Stranger Things: The First Shadow? Let us know in the comments and we’ll update you should Netflix have anything to say on the matter.
