The Lost Boys is the best Broadway vampire musical yet.
Of course, that’s grading on a curve, since the misguided genre has begotten such creative and commercial disasters as Dance of the Vampires, Dracula the Musical, and Lestat. You would think that dismal track record would be enough to dissuade even the most bloodthirsty creatives and producers, but never underestimate the optimism of those thinking that they may finally be the ones to get the formula right. Of course, it helps that Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and Stranger Things: The First Shadow are attracting big crowds for whom being entertained apparently means being scared.
So we now have this adaptation of Joel Schumacher’s 1987 teen-oriented horror film that really wasn’t very good but has apparently achieved cult status (something that seems to be getting easier and easier these days). The musical adaptation certainly reeks of ambition, delivering a highly expensive (reportedly $25 million), lavish production at the Palace, which may now find itself being haunted by the ghost of Judy Garland. This venerable theatrical venue was also the home of 1981’s similarly effects-heavy Frankenstein, which opened and closed on the same night.
[Read Roma Torre’s ★★★☆☆ review here.]
Judging by the excited audience response (never an accurate barometer these days, but still), The Lost Boys should satisfy its target audience who either saw the film in theaters or caught up with it at home. The show, imaginatively staged by Michael Arden (Maybe Happy Ending, Parade), feels reasonably faithful to its inspiration (I usually do my homework, but rewatching the film seemed above and beyond), with the book by newcomers David Hornsby and Chris Hoch retaining the essentials of the story with the addition of a ballad-heavy, pop-rock score by the three-person band The Rescues, also new to musical theater.
Set in the fictional beachside town of “Santa Clara, California” (think Santa Cruz, where the movie was largely filmed), the story involves divorced mom Lucy (Shoshana Bean), teenage son Michael (LG Benet), and younger brother Sam (understudy Pierce Wheeler, excellently filling in for Benjamin Pajak at the reviewed performance). The family has settled there to start a new life, unaware that it’s a haven for vampires. Soon enough, Michael has fallen in with a local band whose charismatic leader, David (Ali Louis Bourzgui, The Who’s Tommy), is the head vampire always on the hunt for victims or new recruits. Michael becomes one of the latter, inadvertently succumbing to vampirism much to the dismay of his superhero-worshipping brother who soon suspects the worst. Sam teams up with the Frog siblings (Pierre Marais and Jennifer Duka), a pair of (would-be amusing) teenage vampire hunters, to rescue Michael from their clutches.
Meanwhile, Lucy takes a job at a video store and begins a tentative relationship with her straitlaced boss Max (Paul Alexander Nolan). But you don’t have to have seen the film to know that in stories such as this, new boyfriends are inherently not to be trusted.
The show boasts spectacular production values (hey, for $25 million, it should), with Dane Laffrey’s multi-level set designs incorporating scaffolding and catwalks particularly impressive. There are some dazzling special effects, including, of course, plenty of flying, with the vampires seeming to spend more time in the air than on the ground. Adam Fisher’s sound design is suitably bombastic, while the haunted house-style lighting design by Jen Schreiver and director Arden provides the appropriate level of spookiness.
Stylistically, there’s much that’s impressive. Unfortunately, the musical is less sure-footed when it comes to tone, with the first act leaning heavily into gothic thrills while the second veers into silly humor that largely falls flat. The nadir are the campy musical numbers “My Brother is A…” and “Superpower,” the latter featuring the superhero-crazed Sam interacting with a bevy of costumed superheroes. And while Bean is a warm, engaging presence, the family’s domestic woes take up way too much of the overlong running time. It doesn’t help that her role here feels so similar to her one in Hell’s Kitchen, including the preparation of lots of meals. Still, her powerhouse vocals are mightily impressive, especially in “Wild,” her duet with Nolan that represents one of the show’s highlights.
Too much of the score, though, feels forgettable, one pop ballad bleeding into another and too redolent of the sort of bombastic power ballads that hair bands routinely pumped out in the nineties (much of it also has the feeling of Christian rock). The banal, generic lyrics are even worse, although it must be pointed out that the ensemble sings the hell out of the numbers, especially on the choral-style songs in which their (heavily amplified) vocals are given full chance to shine.
The performances can’t be faulted, with Benet, making his Broadway debut, displaying impressive charisma and powerful pipes (let’s hope they don’t get blown out with his screlting eight times a week), and Bourzgui magnetic as the blonde, spiky-haired David. Maria Wirries provides arresting vocals as a female Lost Boy, Nolan makes the most of his formulaic role, and Cameron Loyal provides eye candy with his musical turn as the heavily muscled, oiled-up “Sax Guy.”
As with so many shows of its ilk, The Lost Boys ultimately feels more redolent of a theme park attraction than theater. But it at least has the courage of its lack of convictions. This is the type of show so gimmicky that it even emulates the current craze of cinematic post-credits scenes with a post-curtain call scene (not that it amounts to much). But, hey, if a movie can do it, why not Broadway?
The Lost Boys opened April 26, 2026 at the Palace Theatre. Tickets and information: lostboysmusical.com
