“Grey’s Anatomy” actor T.R. Knight is returning to Broadway in “Stranger Things: The First Shadow,” a stage play based on the massive Netflix television series.
The show, which opens in 2025, takes place in the fictional town of Hawkins, Ind. in the decades before Eleven and her crew of misfits entered the Upside Down. As the play’s synopsis describes, “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.”
Knight is playing Henry’s father Victor Creel alongside the newly announced cast of Rosie Benton (“Patriots”) as Virginia Creel, Alex Breaux (“Stranger Things” Season 5) as Dr. Brenner, newcomer Nicky Eldridge as Bob Newby, Andrew Hovelson (“The Good Wife,” Broadway’s “An Enemy of the People”) as Principal Newby, Alison Jaye (“Shameless”) as Joyce Maldonado, Gabrielle Nevaeh as Patty Newby and Burke Swanson (“Back to the Future: The Musical”) as James Hopper Jr. As previously announced, Louis McCartney will lead the company as Henry Creel. Additional casting will be announced in January 2025.
“Stranger Things” writer and executive producer Kate Trefry penned “The First Shadow,” a spinoff that’s based on a story by “Stranger Things” creators Matt and Ross Duffer, “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” playwright Jack Thorne and Trefry.
“Stranger Things: The First Shadow” will run at the Marquis Theatre with preview performances beginning on March 28 ahead of opening night on April 22. Stephen Daldry (“Billy Elliot,” “The Inheritance”) is directing the play with co-direction from Justin Martin (“Prima Facie”).
“The First Shadow” opened on London’s West End in 2023 and has been breaking box office records. In Variety’s review, David Benedict described the production as “eye-widening, often heart-racing.” He wrote, “the laughs — and here the comedy element is mercifully intact — the shudders, the gasps and, at the most spectacular moments, the screams throughout the auditorium are testament to its effectiveness.”
Knight is best known for his Emmy-nominated role of George O’Malley on “Grey’s Anatomy.” His Broadway credits include “A Life in the Theatre,” “It’s Only a Play,” “Noises Off” and “Tartuffe.” On television, Knight also appeared on “The Flight Attendant,” “Genius: Picasso,” “Genius: Einstein,” Stephen King’s “11.22.63,” and “The Comey Rule.”
