Alex Young joins the cast of Stranger Things: The First Shadow

Alex Young (Cold War, Standing at the Sky’s Edge, Into the Woods) has joined the cast of the WhatsOnStage Award-winning Stranger Things: The First Shadow at the Phoenix Theatre.

Young has taken over from Lauren Ward in the role of Virginia Creel, mother of the wickedly talented telekinetic Henry Creel.

Unlike the ’80s-inspired TV series, the stage prequel is set in 1959 with characters including a young Jim Hopper, Joyce Maldonado, Bob Newby and Henry Creel (played respectively by Harbour, Winona Ryder, Sean Astin and Jamie Campbell Bower on screen).

Featuring an original story by the Duffer Brothers, Jack Thorne and Kate Trefry, Stranger Things: The First Shadow is penned by Trefry and directed by Stephen Daldry, with co-direction by Justin Martin. It has received rave reviews across the board, including from WhatsOnStage, being described as a “major visual spectacle”.

The West End cast includes Shane Attwooll as Chief Hopper, Kemi Awoderu as Sue Anderson, Chase Brown as Lonnie Byers, Christopher Buckley as Bob Newby, Ammar Duffus as Charles Sinclair, Gilles Geary as Ted Wheeler, Florence Guy as Karen Childress, Max Harwood as Alan Munson, Michael Jibson as Victor Creel, Oscar Lloyd as James Hopper Jr, Louis McCartney as Henry Creel, Isabella Pappas as Joyce Maldonado, Matthew Pidgeon as Principal Newby, Calum Ross as Walter Henderson, Maisie Norma Seaton as Claudia Yount, Patrick Vaill as Dr Brenner, and Ella Karuna Williams as Patty Newby.

McCartney was nominated for his professional debut turn as Creel, with the production being shortlisted in a total of eight categories. It ultimately won Best New Play.

Completing the company are Tricia Adele-Turner, Lauren Arney, Reya-Nyomi Brown, Patricia Castro, Lydia Fraser, Isaac Gryn, Mark Hammersley, Benjamin Lafayette, Tom Peters, Kingdom Sibanda, Tiana Simone, Danny Sykes and Meesha Turner.

The production features scenic design by Miriam Buether, costume design by Brigitte Reiffenstuel, lighting design by Jon Clark, sound design by Paul Arditti, illusions design and visual effects by Jamie Harrison and Chris Fisher, video design and visual effects by 59 Productions, original music and arrangements by D J Walde, choreography by Coral Messam, movement direction by Lynne Page, and wigs, hair and make-up design by Campbell Young Associates. The technical director is Gary Beestone for Gary Beestone Associates, props supervision is by Mary Halliday, dialect coaching by William Conacher, fight direction by Kev McCurdy, casting by Jessica Ronane Casting CDG with additional casting by Charlotte Sutton CDG, and international casting consultancy by Jim Carnahan.

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