The highly anticipated final season of Stranger Things is here! With the recent release of the first volume of season 5 and the final parts of the series to premiere on Netflix at the end of the month, fans are once again buzzing about the iconic TV show. Did you know that before becoming beloved by the masses for starring in Stranger Things, many of the show’s stars were veterans of the Broadway stage?
Take a look at the stars of Stranger Things, from the kids to the adults, who have appeared on Broadway.
Gaten Matarazzo
Known for playing the lovable Dustin Henderson on Stranger Things, young star Gaten Matarazzo got his career started on the stage, making his Broadway debut at just 9 years old in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. He followed that Broadway venture up by playing one of the most iconic child characters in musical theater, portraying Gavroche in the 2014 Broadway revival of Les Misérables. After Stranger Things, he was seen again on stage in the 2019 Hollywood Bowl production of Into the Woods as Jack, before returning to Broadway in 2022 to play Jared in Dear Evan Hansen. He followed that up with his turn in Parade in the fall of 2022 at New York City Center and as Tobias in the 2024 Broadway revival of Sweeney Todd.
Caleb McLaughlin
Now in his fourth season as the nerd turned jock Lucas Sinclair, Caleb McLaughlin is one of the rising stars on Stranger Things who also had a start on the Broadway stage. In 2012, McLaughlin took on the ferocious role of Young Simba in the iconic Disney musical The Lion King, playing the role for two years at the Minskoff Theatre. If you’re curious to find out more about McLaughlin’s journey to the stage, you can watch him look back on his time on Broadway in the docuseries Becoming on Disney+.
Gabriella Pizzolo
Responsible for memorable moments as Dustin’s long-distance girlfriend Suzie Bingham, Gabriella Pizzolo had starred in two Broadway shows before heading to the Netflix hit series. The young actress first starred on the Broadway stage in 2013, playing the titular role in Matilda. She then went on to be part of the Fun Home original Broadway cast in the spring of 2015, understudying the three child roles before taking on the role of Small Alison full-time later in 2015, playing the role through the end of the show’s Broadway run in fall 2016.
Sadie Sink
Before being introduced to a wider audience on the second season of the beloved series in 2017, Sadie Sink was a young Broadway actress, making her debut in the 2012 revival of Annie as a standby for many of the child roles before later starring as the titular and iconic orphan. Sink also worked alongside Dame Helen Mirren in the 2015 Broadway production of The Audience, portraying Young Elizabeth. 2025 was a major year for Sink’s stage career as it saw her return to Broadway as the star of John Proctor is the Villain, earning herself a Tony nomination for her performance. She will make her London stage debut next year in a new West End production of Romeo and Juliet, starring opposite Noah Jupe.
Cara Buono
While it’s been a moment since she graced the Broadway stage, Cara Buono, who plays Karen Wheeler, the mother of Nancy and Mike Wheeler on Stranger Things, made her Broadway debut when she was just a teenager in the 1989 production of The Tenth Man. She went on to follow that Broadway credit up with a role in 1990’s Some Americans Abroad and the 1995 revival of The Rose Tattoo.
David Harbour
Former Hawkins police chief and explosive event survivor Jim Hopper is played by the incomparable David Harbour, Emmy-nominated for his performance on Stranger Things, but did you know he is also a Tony Award nominee? Harbour received a nomination in 2005 for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play for playing Nick in Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, which he starred in alongside Kathleen Turner and Bill Irwin. The actor, also known for starring in Marvel’s Black Widow, has been on Broadway a number of times, making his debut in The Rainmaker in 1999. He then appeared in The Invention of Love, The Coast of Utopia, The Merchant of Venice, and Glengarry Glen Ross. He starred in the West End production of Mad House in 2022.
Matthew Modine
Playing the menacing and villainous Dr. Martin Brenner on Stranger Things, Matthew Modine has been on Broadway once before. In 2010, Modine starred in the short-lived production of The Miracle Worker led by stars Abigail Breslin and Alison Pill. He portrayed Atticus Finch in the West End when Aaron Sorkin’s To Kill a Mockingbird made its London premiere in 2022.
Michael Park
Briefly seen on the show as Nancy and Jonathan’s horrific boss Tom Holloway, Michael Park is a Broadway favorite. First appearing in the 1994 revival of Carousel, he’s perhaps best-known to today’s Broadway audiences for originating the role of Larry Murphy in Dear Evan Hansen. Most recently, he was seen on Broadway opposite Idina Menzel in Redwood.
Alex Breaux
Did you know that a current star of Stranger Things: The First Shadow on Broadway is also appearing on the final season of the TV show? Alex Breaux, who is playing Dr Brenner in the Broadway show, was introduced during the fifth season of Stranger Things as Lieutenant Robert Akers. After finishing the TV show, head to the Marquis Theatre to see him live on Broadway!
Volume Two of Stranger Things premieres on Netflix on December 25, with the finale dropping on December 31. Stranger Things: The First Shadow is currently playing on Broadway at the Marquis Theatre.
