The stage adaptation stakes its claim on the Great White Way.

The Lost Boys musical review: Singing vampires take a bite out of Broadway

The stage adaptation stakes its claim on the Great White Way.

By Dalton Ross

Dalton Ross is a writer and editor with over 25 years experience covering TV and the entertainment industry. *Survivor* is kind of his thing.

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April 26, 2026 10:00 p.m. ET

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LJ Benet, Ali Louis Bourzgui, Brian Flores, Dean Maupin, and Sean Grandillo in 'The Lost Boys' Broadway musical. Credit:

There's a case to be made that you can't find a more quintessential 1980s teen movie than *The Lost Boys*. First off, there's not one, but *two* Coreys. That alone could end the conversation right there. But throw in Jami Gertz playing a character named Star, and Kiefer Sutherland rocking a bleach-blond mullet while sporting a dangly earring, and you are only strengthening your case. Did I mention there is a ridiculous motorcycle race… on sand? That a key location is a video rental store? Or that the end credits song is provided by Echo & the Bunnymen?

All of this is to point out that the nostalgic pull for a project like *The Lost Boys* is strong. Which explains why a new musical based on the Joel Schumacher-directed film from 1987 about punky vampires opened tonight at the Palace Theatre on Broadway. And what is awaiting audiences is a massive spectacle with tinges of both horror and humor, yet wrapped in a whole lot of heart.

LJ Benet and Ali Louis Bourzgui in 'The Lost Boys' Broadway musical.

The main framework of the story (directed here by Michael Arden) is basically the same. Single mom Lucy Emerson (Dianne Wiest in the film, Shoshana Bean here) moves her sons Michael (Jason Patric/LJ Benet) and Sam (Corey Haim/Benjamin Pajak) to her dad's place in fictional Santa Carla, Calif., for a fresh start. Only in this version, grandpa (who had the classic closing line of the film) is dead.

Michael — who is suffering trauma courtesy of physical beatings from his father — longs for some sort of normal family structure. Might he find it… among the undead? His path to possible vampiric immortality naturally begins with an enigmatic and alluring girl, as a fantastic Maria Wirries takes on the Gertz character of Star. Michael's attraction to this half-vampire garners the attention of a band of rock musicians — led by Ali Louis Bourzgui in the Sutherland role of David — who also happen to moonlight (get it?) as full-blown beach town bloodsuckers. (Don't worry, the hilariously oiled up shirtless saxophone player from the film is not completely absent, turning in one of the production's funniest cameos.)

Ali Louis Bourzgui and Dean Maupin in 'The Lost Boys' Broadway musical.

After consuming some of David's blood, Michael must choose between his real family and a new one promising friendship, fraternity, and, yes, feral acts of violence. And that choice will happen through the power of song! Ballads, specifically. Lots and lots of ballads. The uniformity and sheer magnitude of the bombastic anthems (written by the Rescues) would be a problem if they were not delivered so beautifully by the cast.

Benet and Wirries carry the most weight, delivering pleading powerhouse vocals and gorgeous harmonies on songs like "Now, Forever" and the curtain-closing "If We Make it Through the Night" (also showcasing the pristine pipes of the always winning Bean). The anthemic nature of the music is emblematic of a production that goes for the throat (slight pun intended) at every turn.

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The show begins with a dark, foreboding horror scene, complete with a jump scare that literally had my wife clutching the armrest as a massive neon red *The Lost Boys* sign levitated up from the ground. (Granted, she clutches easily.) And that is just the beginning for a production that has objects (and people) ascending and descending all over the stage. Dane Laffrey's epic scenic design involves sets rising up from the abyss and floating down from the rafters simultaneously — enabling both floors of the new Emerson abode to appear and disappear seamlessly as the action dictates.

Maria Wirries and LJ Benet in 'The Lost Boys' Broadway musical.

Of course, this being a story about vampires, bodies are flying around as well, courtesy of aerial design by Gwyneth Larsen and Bill Mulholland (with flight direction by Sordelet Inc.). There has not been this much choreographed soaring on a Broadway stage since Idina Menzel decided to go climb a tree in *Redwood*. Bourzgui, in particular, seems so natural in the air, making David appear all the more seductive and menacing as he attempts to woo Michael over to the dark side.

Just as impressive as the creative set design and aerial acrobatics is the impeccable lighting by Jen Schriever and Arden. Whether it is bathing sections of the stage in bright hues or working with the prodigious amount of smoke to conceal and reveal characters in split seconds, the mood setting is masterful, perhaps no more so than a scene that should absolutely not work on stage, yet does. The aforementioned motorcycle race from the movie? It's here. And it revs, thanks to the masterful lighting job. That's not the production's only I-can't-believe-they-pulled-that-off moment. The bridge jumping scene? That's here as well, and it is spectacular.

LJ Benet, Ali Louis Bourzgui, Brian Flores, Dean Maupin, and Sean Grandillo in 'The Lost Boys' Broadway musical.

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The majority of all this technical razzle-dazzle is in the first act, and once some of the wonder wears off, a few of the show's flaws take hold. Pajak is simply too manic as younger brother Sam, and while his big solo "Superpower" is a nice moment for the character (whose own sexuality is explored here), the number tonally seems almost airlifted from a completely different show.

And the alleged comic relief from the Frog brothers (Corey Feldman and Jamison Newlander in the film, Miguel Gil and Jennifer Duka here) is questionable at best. The show's more potent humor (book by David Hornsby and Chris Hoch) comes in smaller moments, like negotiations over how many Rob Lowe posters Sam is allowed to hang in his room, or a self-acknowledging wink-wink line from Lucy's new film obsessed boss/boyfriend Max (Edward Herrmann in the movie, a stellar Paul Alexander Nolan here) on how "turning a movie into a musical reeks of desperation."

Shoshana Bean in 'The Lost Boys' Broadway musical.

After so much technical wizardry and emotional build-up, the climactic battle between humans and vampires sadly ends up being a bit of a rushed letdown, with the two big bads meeting their ends in less than magnificent fashion. (Where's grandpa with the wooden fence post when you need him?) Thankfully, the ending moment is somewhat saved by the rousing final number. And the show's creativity returns with the theatrical equivalent of a post-credits scene after the curtain call that acts as a nifty bookend to the show's eerie start.

*The Lost Boys* is a big and bold production marrying technical enchantment with a talented cast of vocal heavyweights. Even if a few elements of this vampire love story remain a bit undercooked, it's definitely worth sinking your teeth into. **Grade: B+**

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