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Set in Indiana 20 years before the events of the Netflix show's first season, the play focuses on the life of McCartney's Henry Creel as a shy, awkward teen. Fans of the TV show will know the teen becomes the villainous monster Vecna in the fourth season.

“If you haven’t watched ‘Stranger Things,’ then this is a great opportunity for you to have an introduction because it’s a prequel,� he says. “It is it's own standalone story and it's got everything in it that will make you love ‘Stranger Things’ again.�

The Belfast-born, London-based McCartney got the role after an open casting call and earned raves portraying a teen with psychic and psychokinetic abilities. He says the Broadway version will be even better, accommodating a larger theater.

“It’s a new playground," he says. “Imagine what we’ve done now but times 10. If the illusions go up, then the story has to go up. I think there’s more story to tell. And I think we can go deeper."

“ � will begin performances on March 28, 2025, ahead of an official opening of April 22, 2025. The original story is by the Duffer Brothers, Jack Thorne and Kate Trefry and is directed by Stephen Daldry and co-directed by Justin Martin.

McCartney was a diehard “Stranger Things� fan but had no plans to be a stage actor. He trained in screen work and credits Daldry and Martin with seeing his potential.

He says “Stranger Things: The First Shadow� is world-bending and mesmerizing with demogorgons and special effects, but it is grounded in heartfelt tragedy, especially his doomed Henry, a “Hamlet�-like figure, who was played on TV by Jamie Campbell Bower.

“It’s this character with the weight of the world on his shoulders. He can’t understand what’s wrong with him. He wants to know what’s going on inside of his mind, like every 14-year-old boy does,� he says.

“It’s all built on love. That’s what’s so sad about it — every single thing he does, he does it for love. He’s pulled in each and every direction.�

The play is set in 1959, where audiences meet the troubled teenage Henry as he moves to Hawkins, Indiana, with his damaged dad and overprotective mom. Pets start to wind up dead, and the radio begins going haywire, among other odd phenomenon.

McCartney has drawn on his own childhood to capture that moment when a teen's voice starts cracking and they are shy and lacking of social skills, especially around girls.

“I sort of felt alienated from everybody else at times. But then I also felt included, and people began to understand who I was,� says McCartney. “It’s very cathartic with Henry Creel. It’s very easy to cry on stage with this writing. It's so in touch with what everybody else feels.�