I was watching the great film, “The Reader,” the other night and wondering what its director, Stephen Daldry, was up to.
Now we know: he’s co- directing a play (with Justin Martin) with a new plot based on the Netflix hit “Stranger Things” in London’s West End. Sonia Friedman is producing, I guess this akin to her hit “Harry Potter” play on Broadway.
The new play, called “The First Shadow,” is by Kate Trefry, a writer and co-executive producer for the TV series. A press release says it “will be rooted in the mythology and world of the Netflix global phenomenon.”
“Stranger Things” is now filming its 5th and final season, which will be aired later this year on Netflix.
Here’s the plot of the play:
“Hawkins, 1959: a regular town with regular worries. 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.”
So this is a prequel concerning Winona Ryder’s Joyce when she was in high school, and David Harbour’s Jim Hopper, etc. (Just a thought: Matthew Modine, aka Dr Brenner, is already in London starring in “To Kill a Mockingbird,” and getting rave reviews. He could just stay and play Young Doctor Brenner.)
If it’s a hit, “The First Shadow” will cast one on Broadway, no doubt, in spring or fall 2024.
This is called Maximizing the Brand, folks. I can’t wait to see what 1959 rock classic will be revived with this play. “Stranger Things” have happened!
And what’s next? “Eleven: The Musical”? No doubt!
