The London and New York productions of Stranger Things: The First Shadow, the theatrical prequel to Netflix’s TV blockbuster, are to both close this winter. The stage spectacular will have run for just over three years in the West End, where it won two Olivier awards, and for just over 20 months on Broadway, where it won four Tony awards. The final performance at the Phoenix theatre in London will be on 27 December and the last show at the Marquis theatre in New York will be on 3 January.
The announcement, made on Tuesday, comes as a surprise considering the TV series’ phenomenal continued success. The November launch of the fifth and final season broke viewing records for an English-language series on Netflix, with 59.6m views in the first five days, and even caused the streaming service to crash within minutes of the episodes first becoming available. In February, it was widely reported that the New York stage production was being filmed for future release, but Netflix has made no such official statement.
More than 1.5m tickets have been sold across the West End and Broadway productions. Brothers Matt and Ross Duffer, the creative producers and creators of Stranger Things, said that when the theatre director Stephen Daldry first suggested the idea of a play to them “we were stunned – both by the fact that Stephen wanted to do this, and that he believed it could work. And, boy, did it work. We remain awed by what Stephen, [writer] Kate Trefry, [co-director] Justin Martin and all the brilliant behind-the-scenes wizards were able to pull off.”
Producer Sonia Friedman said: “We are incredibly proud of the ambition, imagination and artistry that every member of the company has brought to creating something truly groundbreaking. Together, they have pushed the boundaries of live theatre to tell this story with heart, adventure and spectacle.” Both Friedman and the Duffer Brothers highlighted that the show had provided a first theatrical experience for a significant number of its audience members.
The show’s website reveals that there is medium or good availability for almost all future performances, even including cheaper tickets.
The TV series’ stars include Sadie Sink, who made her West End debut this year in Romeo and Juliet (which runs until 20 June), and Gaten Matarazzo, who will make his own West End debut in the musical Rent this autumn.
