The Lost Boys, A New Musical Begins Broadway Performances at the Palace Theatre
The Lost Boys, A New Musical has officially begun Broadway performances, bringing the cult 1987 vampire film to the stage at the Palace Theatre ahead of its opening night next month.
The new production started performances on March 27, with opening night scheduled for April 26, marking the latest screen-to-stage adaptation to arrive on Broadway. Directed by two-time Tony Award winner Michael Arden, the musical reimagines the supernatural horror-comedy that became a defining favourite of late-1980s genre cinema and later developed a devoted cult following.
Leading the cast is Shoshana Bean as Lucy Emerson, joined by LJ Benet as Michael Emerson, Ali Louis Bourzgui as David and Benjamin Pajak as Sam Emerson. Also featured in the principal cast are Maria Wirries as Star, Paul Alexander Nolan as Max, Jennifer Duka as Alan Frog, Miguel Gil as Edgar Frog, Brian Flores as Marko, Sean Grandillo as Dwayne and Dean Maupin as Paul.
The wider company includes Ryan Behan, Grace Capeless, Mateus Leite Cardoso, Ben Crawford, Dominic Dorset, Carissa Gaughran, Ashley Jenkins, Liesie Kelly, Cameron Loyal, Pierre Marais, Mason Olshavsky, Hank Santos, Colin Trudell, DeLaney Westfall and Pierce Wheeler.
Based on the Warner Bros. film first released in 1987, The Lost Boys follows two brothers who relocate to the fictional California town of Santa Carla with their recently divorced mother, only to find themselves drawn into a world of vampires lurking beneath the town’s sun-soaked surface. What begins as a family move quickly spirals into a battle with the supernatural, as the brothers uncover the dangerous secret behind their new home.
Over the years, the original film has secured its place as a cult classic, remembered for its mix of horror, humour and teen rebellion. Its legacy has stretched well beyond its original release, with the story often seen as an early forerunner to the wave of vampire-centred pop culture that would later dominate film and television through titles such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, True Blood, Twilight and The Vampire Diaries.
For its Broadway incarnation, the musical features a book by David Hornsby and Chris Hoch, with music and lyrics by The Rescues, comprising Kyler England, AG and Gabriel Mann. Choreography is by Lauren Yalango-Grant and Christopher Cree Grant, while music supervision comes from Ethan Popp, who also provides orchestrations and arrangements alongside The Rescues.
The creative team also includes scenic designer Dane Laffrey, costume designer Ryan Park, lighting designer Jen Schriever, sound designer Adam Fisher and aerial designers Gwyneth Larsen and Billy Mulholland. Additional creative roles are filled by hair and wig designer David Brian Brown, fight directors Rick and Christian Sordelet, dramaturg Jenna Clark Embrey, electronic music designers Billy Jay Stein and Hiro Ida for Strange Cranium, music director Julie McBride and music coordinator Kimberlee Wertz.
The production also marks the first producing collaboration between James Carpinello, Marcus Chait and Patrick Wilson.
With its blend of horror, nostalgia and theatrical spectacle, The Lost Boys, A New Musical arrives on Broadway carrying both the appeal of a beloved film title and the challenge of translating its stylised supernatural world to the stage. Its run at the Palace Theatre will now test whether the cult status of the original can evolve into musical theatre success in the heart of Broadway.
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