Getting to Know You: Louis Healy – meet Stranger Things: The First Shadow’s new Henry Creel

For our final edition of “Getting to Know You” for 2024, we’re taking you to Hawkins, Indiana – well, to the Phoenix Theatre in London’s West End actually – where Louis Healy has assumed the coveted role of Henry Creel in the world premiere production of Stranger Things: The First Shadow.

We recently sat down with Healy to talk about how the show has turned his world upside down, growing up in the industry with parents Tim Healy and Denise Welch (and with the soundtrack of his brother Matty Healy’s future band The 1975 practising in the garage), his first stage venture in The Full Monty, and how he believed he stood no chance of getting the Creel role after seeing predecessor Louis McCartney‘s WhatsOnStage Award-nominated performance.

Get to know Healy in the video below:

Stranger Things: The First Shadow features an original story by the Duffer Brothers, Jack Thorne and Kate Trefry. The play 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”, and was crowned Best New Play at the 24th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards.

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 David Harbour, Winona Ryder, Sean Astin and Jamie Campbell Bower on screen).

Alongside Healy, the West End cast includes Callum Maxwell (as Bob Newby), Miranda Mufema (as Patty Newby), Jessica Rhodes (as Joyce Maldonado), George Smale (as James Hopper Jr), Joshua James (as Dr Brenner), Shane Attwooll (as Chief Hopper), Jack Crumlin (as Lonnie Byers), Rhianna Dorris (as Sue Anderson), Ammar Duffus (as Charles Sinclair), Jack Gardner (as Walter Henderson), Andy Langtree (as Victor Creel), Betsy Mayle (as Claudia Yount), Michael Murray (as Alan Munson), Lauren O’Neil (as Virginia Creel), Matthew Pidgeon (as Principal Newby), Barney Wilkinson (as Ted Wheeler) and Edie Wright (as Karen Childress). Alternating the role of Alice Creel are Scarlett Davies, Olivia Miller, India Moon and Pixie Robbins.

Completing the company are Chloe Akuma, Harry Ames, Sophie Atherton, Levi Bent, Mat Betteridge, Amara Campbell, Lois Churcher, Flora Dawson, Benjamin Lafayette, Jake Mavis, Karen Mavundukure, Chris Porter, Marianna Scott and Jonny Warr.

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 with additional casting by Charlotte Sutton, and international casting consultancy by Jim Carnahan.

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