Louis McCartney will lead 'Stranger Things: The First Shadow' on Broadway

NEW YORK -- Something wicked this measurement comes: Louis McCartney who starred successful nan play “Stranger Things: The First Shadow” successful London will reprise his creepy monster connected Broadway.

“It’s specified a privilege to beryllium capable to show this communicative successful different portion of nan world,” McCartney tells The Associated Press. “I’m ecstatic to beryllium capable to alert crossed nan pond and beryllium capable to do that each complete again, but better, successful New York.”

Set successful Indiana 20 years earlier nan events of nan Netflix show's first season, nan play focuses connected nan life of McCartney's Henry Creel arsenic a shy, awkward teen. Fans of nan TV show will cognize nan teen becomes nan villainous monster Vecna successful nan 4th season.

“If you haven’t watched ‘Stranger Things,’ past this is simply a awesome opportunity for you to person an preamble because it’s a prequel,” he says. “It is it's ain standalone communicative and it's sewage everything successful it that will make you emotion ‘Stranger Things’ again.”

The Belfast-born, London-based McCartney sewage nan domiciled aft an unfastened casting telephone and earned raves portraying a teen pinch psychic and psychokinetic abilities. He says nan Broadway type will beryllium moreover better, accommodating a larger theater.

“It’s a caller playground," he says. “Imagine what we’ve done now but times 10. If nan illusions spell up, past nan communicative has to spell up. I deliberation there’s much communicative to tell. And I deliberation we tin spell deeper."

“ Stranger Things: The First Shadow ” will statesman performances connected March 28, 2025, up of an charismatic opening of April 22, 2025. The original communicative is by nan Duffer Brothers, Jack Thorne and Kate Trefry and is directed by Stephen Daldry and co-directed by Justin Martin.

McCartney was a diehard “Stranger Things” instrumentality but had nary plans to beryllium a shape actor. He trained successful surface activity and credits Daldry and Martin pinch seeing his potential.

He says “Stranger Things: The First Shadow” is world-bending and mesmerizing pinch demogorgons and typical effects, but it is grounded successful heartfelt tragedy, particularly his doomed Henry, a “Hamlet”-like figure, who was played connected TV by Jamie Campbell Bower.

“It’s this characteristic pinch nan weight of nan world connected his shoulders. He can’t understand what’s incorrect pinch him. He wants to cognize what’s going connected wrong of his mind, for illustration each 14-year-old boy does,” he says.

“It’s each built connected love. That’s what’s truthful sad astir it — each azygous point he does, he does it for love. He’s pulled successful each and each direction.”

The play is group successful 1959, wherever audiences meet nan troubled teenage Henry arsenic he moves to Hawkins, Indiana, pinch his damaged dada and overprotective mom. Pets commencement to upwind up dead, and nan power originates going haywire, among different overseas phenomenon.

McCartney has drawn connected his ain puerility to seizure that infinitesimal erstwhile a teen's sound starts cracking and they are awkward and lacking of societal skills, particularly astir girls.

“I benignant of felt alienated from everybody other astatine times. But past I besides felt included, and group began to understand who I was,” says McCartney. “It’s very cathartic pinch Henry Creel. It’s very easy to outcry connected shape pinch this writing. It's truthful successful touch pinch what everybody other feels.”