As fans of Stranger Things continue to await further news about the fifth and final season of the Netflix giant, a few lucky ones may get to peek behind the curtain early. Stranger Things: The First Shadow premiered on Broadway on Tuesday after a successful run in London, and, according to showrunner Ross Duffer, the horror sci-fi play is not just a tie-in prequel. In fact, the stage play connects directly to the events of Season 5. Fans, it’s time to get in line and try to get a ticket.
The Hollywood Reporter spoke to series creators the Duffer Brothers during the Broadway premiere of the stage play The First Shadow. The play was directed by Stephen Daldry and written by Kate Trefry, who has also written a few episodes of the show. During the red carpet event, Ross Duffer was asked if the play had somehow influenced the events in Stranger Things Season 5 and vice versa. His reply teases some well-hidden Easter Eggs that fans will surely identify in the play, which takes place in Hawkins in the 1950s. He revealed:

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It has to be hard to keep all that info locked away.

“We were writing Season 5 as this show was being written and going into workshops and all of that, so the main thing we were working on with Kate and Stephen was just making sure that all the mythology lined up, so that when you see the play and see Season 5, whatever order you see it, it all links and connects.

Also that the play starts to tee up things that are going to be big reveals in Season 5 without giving everything away, because we want Season 5 to be able to stand on its own obviously. So it was a tightrope to walk for sure.”

This tracks with what Variety reported a few days ago, revealing that The First Shadow works as a bridge between Season 4 and Season 5 of the show, regardless of where it actually sits in the show’s timeline. Trefry said that both the play and Season 5 are “inextricable from each other,” and said that “the experience of consuming both together is going to be really fun and satisfying to see how connected they are.”
‘Stranger Things’ Noah Schnapp Says “People Are Going to Be Truly Devastated” by the Final Season

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Stranger Things star Noah Schnapp, who plays Will Byers in the show, was also present at the premiere, and he teased Season 5, saying, “People are going to be truly devastated” as they witness the final events of the beloved show. Schnapp’s details are similar to those that the other cast members have offered since production wrapped. Are they all following a PR move, or could Stranger Things Season 5 really culminate in a massacre where many of our favorites die? Schnapp continued:

“As sad as it was, I’m so excited to see the world’s reaction to watching the finale because there’s not going to be a dry eye, it’s going to be sad. Not to be so negative, it is a really great season and people will love it.”

Ross Duffer went on to tease Season 5 even further, offering more details and saying that the final season will feature major thrills and action from the start:

“It’s the end of a long journey, for everyone who made the show and also for those characters. It is thrilling, and it’s our fastest start we’ve ever had — our heroes are in action right away, but I think ultimately, hopefully, it’s our most emotional season yet.”

Source: The Hollywood Reporter, Variety