The Stranger Things Stage Play Will Be Set In 1959 And Serve As Prequel To The Netflix Series

Hawkins, Indiana is being transported from the screen to the stage this fall. Netflix is making a stage play set in the "Stranger Things" universe that will actually be part of the established canon, meaning this will actually have a bearing on the show. Presumably a big one too, as it apparently holds some clues about the upcoming fifth and final season.

A teaser trailer for the stage show, titled "Stranger Things: The First Shadow," was recently released, along with an official synopsis. The play will be kicking off a run in London later this year and, as the teaser promises, "The beginning of the Stranger Things story might hold the key to what comes next." Might is doing a lot of heavy lifting there, but it very much seems like this prequel tale will lay some groundwork for what's to come. Before diving into the particulars, let's have a look at the teaser.

The teaser doesn't give away too much, but we see footage from the show playing on an '80s-era TV before we're transported into a theater, presumably the Phoenix Theatre in London, where the production will take place. That's about it, but they are very much trying to hook viewers with that bit of text at the end. As for the particulars of the story? The official synopsis for "The First Shadow" reads as follows:

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. Brought to life by a multi-award-winning creative team, who take theatrical storytelling and stagecraft to a whole new dimension, this gripping new adventure will take you right back to the beginning of the Stranger Things story – and may hold the key to the end.

Much to process there, but we're going to be seeing younger versions of familiar characters decades before the events depicted in the show. Series creators Matt and Ross Duffer cooked up the idea for the play, alongside Jack Throne and Kate Trefry. Stephen Daldry ("Billy Elliot") is directing. Given that the creators of the show are directly involved, it's likely that seeing the play won't be crucial for viewers to enjoy season 5 (which has been delayed by the ongoing writers' strike) when it finally arrives. But for those who are feeling particularly rabid and can make the trek to London, this sounds like the place to be.

Tickets and other info on the play can be found at StrangerThingsOnStage.com.