Louis McCartney to Reprise His Role of Henry Creel in ‘Stranger Things: The First Shadow’ on Broadway

Louis McCartney is returning to the Upside Down for the Broadway run of Stranger Things: The First Shadow.

The actor will reprise his award-winning, universally acclaimed performance of Henry Creel in the play when it hits the Great White Way on April 22, 2025, after beginning previews on March 28, 2025, at the Marquis Theatre. This will mark his Broadway debut.

“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,” director Stephen Daldry and co-director Justin Martin said in a joint 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.”

Following the show’s run in London, McCartney received the Stage 2024 Debut Award for best performer in a play and the Critics’ Circle Award for most promising newcomer. The production itself has won two Olivier Awards for best entertainment and set design.

Stranger Things: The First Shadow is based on an original story by Matt and Ross Duffer, the creators of the hit Netflix series, Kate Trefry and Jack Thorne, who wrote the stage adaptation for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Shawn Levy, who executive produces and directs Stranger Things, and Dan Cohen of Levy’s company 21 Laps serve as associate producers on the play.

It is set up as a prequel to the TV show and includes younger versions of Winona Ryder’s Joyce, Sean Astin’s late Bob Newby and David Harbour’s Hopper.

“Before the world turned upside down. Hawkins, 1959: a regular town with regular worries,” the description reads. “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.”