You can feel it on Broadway: a dry, listless hunger like a vampire who’s been stuck in a coffin since last season’s Tonys. We’ve had our share of worthy new plays and a few exciting revivals. But where is the heartbeat of the Great White Way? Where is that blockbuster new musical? Nowhere to be found. Until now, and it’s a bloody good time.
The Lost Boys faithfully follows the 1987 film. Recently divorced mom Lucy Emerson (comedic beltress extraordinaire Shoshana Bean in top form) moves her two sons back to her quirky hometown of Santa Carla, California, where she’s looking for a fresh start. Hunky older brother Michael (a charming LJ Benet) wants a girlfriend (the beguiling Maria Wirries). Dorky younger brother Sam (scene-stealing Benjamin Pajak) just wants to geek out to comics. One problem: the town is infested with vampires, and Michael has fallen in with the wrong crowd, including Billy Idol lookalike David (an intoxicating Ali Louis Bourzgui).
Welcome to Santa Carla
The real star of this electrifying production is director Michael Arden, whose alternately operatic and tongue-in-cheek staging infuses a comic-book sensibility and aesthetic. Dane Laffrey’s immense, multi-level set gives Broadway theatergoers bang for their buck, with Arden and Jen Schriever’s lighting offering a further jolt. Flying sequences by Gwyneth Larsen and Billy Mulholland provide thrills and jump scares that never wear out their welcome. Meanwhile, David Hornsby and Chris Hoch’s clever book packs in 80s hair-band nostalgia and Reagan-era jokes that land without a hint of cringe.
Yes, The Rescues‘ score leans into generic Broadway pop, and a few too many ballads threaten to drive a stake into the heart of Act II. But these are minor bumps in a very fun hearse ride. When the show is rocking, it’s a blockbuster.
As most Broadway nerds will tell you, vampire musicals have had a bloodier track record than a hemophiliac in a razor blade factory. Dance of the Vampires, Lestat, Dracula—all rightfully earned their place on the theater district haunt Joe Allen’s famed Wall of Flops. But The Lost Boys have broken the curse. Finally, a vampire musical that doesn’t suck. And in a lackluster season desperate for a hit, that’s a lifeline.
It wants better content.
Is ‘The Lost Boys’ worth seeing?
The Lost Boys delivers a gleefully propulsive blockbuster that breaks Broadway’s vampire musical curse and gives a desperate season exactly what it needs.
- Palace Theatre, 160 West 47th Street, New York City
- Notable performers: Shoshana Bean, LJ Benet, Ali Louis Bourzgui, Benjamin Pajak, Maria Wirries
- Running time: Two and 40 minutes, including one intermission
- Open-ended run
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