Evan Alexander Smith joins 'Stranger Things: The First Shadow' Broadway cast

Smith will replace John Zdrojeski as Dr. Brenner, performing through the show's closing at the Marquis Theatre on January 3.

Summary

• Evan Alexander Smith replaces John Zdrojeski as Dr. Brenner in Stranger Things: The First Shadow on Broadway starting tonight
• Smith will perform through the show's closing on January 3
• The play is set 30 years before the events of Netflix's Stranger Things and tells the origin story of Henry Creel

Welcome to Hawkins! Evan Alexander Smith will join the cast of Stranger Things: The First Shadow for its final 14 weeks on Broadway, replacing John Zdrojeski as Dr. Brenner through January 3. Smith begins performances tonight at the Marquis Theatre.

The current First Shadow cast includes Victor de Paula Rocha as Henry Creel, Ayana Cymone as Patty Newby, Shea Grant as Joyce Maldonado, Juan Carlos as Bob Newby, Rosie Benton as Virginia Creel, Taylor Sage Evans as Karen Childress, Andrew Hovelson as Principal Newby, Ted Koch as Chief Hopper, Robert T. Cunningham as Charles Sinclair, Matthew Erick White as James Hopper, Jr., Ben Ashcraft as Alan Munson, John Patrick Collins as Lonnie Byers, Jennie Harney-Fleming as Patty’s Mom, Thatcher Jacobs as Walter Henderson, Quinn Nehr as Ted Wheeler, Nick Rehberger as Victor Creel, Zoe Sage as Sue Anderson, Afra Sophia Tully as Claudia Yount, and Lia Christina and Francesca Yhlen alternating as Alice Creel.

Set 30 years before the events of Netflix's hit TV series Stranger Things, the stage play tells the origin story of how Henry Creel came to Hawkins and became the Upside Down's most powerful villain. Following its spring 2025 Broadway premiere, it earned critical acclaim and won four Tony Awards for its special effects and production design.

Learn more about Stranger Things: The First Shadow on Broadway.

Get Stranger Things: The First Shadow tickets now.

Photo credit: Evan Alexander Smith. (Photo courtesy of production)