Broadway, meet the Upside Down!

The stage play based on Netflix’s hit science fiction series Stranger Things is in rehearsals for its Broadway debut after its successful premiere on London’s West End — and PEOPLE has the first look.

Stranger Things: The First Shadow marks the first-ever expansion of the 12-time Emmy Award-winning TV show. The play takes place in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana in 1959, long before Mike Wheeler and his friends were born. 

But that doesn’t mean audiences won’t see the names they already know and love. Many of the adult characters in the TV show, set in the ’80s, take the spotlight in the stage adaptation, which follows them through their high school years and dives into the origin story of Henry Creel (a.k.a. Vecna).

The show is set to begin performances on March 28 ahead of its official opening on April 22 at Marquis Theatre in New York City. Now, the cast and production team is hard at work putting together a play that lives up to its acclaimed source material. 

Photographer Matthew Murphy was in the room during rehearsals and snapped photos of the cast bringing the horror story to life. The pictures show the actors in action, some even exploring mysteries with old-school flashlights and homemade equipment. 

A prequel to the TV show, the synopsis reads, “Before the world turned upside down. 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.”

The description continues, “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.”

Burke Swanson, Alison Jaye and Juan Carlos, respectively, step into the roles of Jim Hopper, Joyce Maldonado and Bob Newby in the stage adaptation — the characters famously played on screen by by David Harbour, Winona Ryder and Sean Astin.

The cast continues with Rosie Benton as Virginia Creel, Alex Breaux as Dr. Brenner, Andrew Hovelson as Principal Newby, Emmy nominee T.R. Knight as Victor Creel, Gabrielle Nevaeh as Patty Newby and Louis McCartney as Henry Creel. 

Of these names, Breaux is set to appear in Stranger Things season 5, while McCartney is reprising his role from the West End.

Completing the cast are Janie Brookshire, Kelsey Anne Brown, Malcolm Callender, Ta’Rea Campbell, Juan Carlos, Robert T. Cunningham, Ayana Cymone, Tom D’Agustino, Victor de Paula Rocha, Ian Dolley, Dora Dolphin, Nya Garner, Logan Gould, Shea Grant, Rebecca Hurd, Ted Koch, Timothy Lawrence , Jamie Martin Mann, Patrick Scott McDermott, Stephen Wattrus, Maya West, Eric Wiegand and Graham Winton.

The story was conceived by Stranger Things creators, directors and executive producers Duffer Brothers, as well as Harry Potter and the Cursed Child scribe Jack Thorne and Stranger Things writer and co-executive producer Kate Trefry.

Three-time Tony winner Stephen Daldry will direct Trefry’s script with Justin Martin.

Stranger Things: The First Shadow includes set design by Miriam Buether, costume design by Brigitte Reiffenstuel, lighting design by Jon Clark, sound design by Paul Arditti and original music composition, orchestration, arrangements and supervision by D.J. Walde.

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The production team also features illusions design and visual effects by Jamie Harrison and Chris Fisher; video design and visual effects by 59; choreography by Coral Messam; movement direction by Lynne Page; wigs, hair and make-up design by Campbell Young Associates; and technical direction by Gary Beestone.

Back in December 2023, Stranger Things: The First Shadow opened on the West End at the Phoenix Theatre, where it is still playing. Upon its premiere, the play was nominated for five Laurence Olivier Awards, winning two for best set design and best entertainment or comedy play. 

Though not captured in the rehearsal room, the show has been heralded for its captivating visual effects and rich sound design that will, without a doubt, transport audiences into another dimension. 

Tickets for Stranger Things: The First Shadow are now on sale.