The Lost Boys Musical

Next year marks the 40th anniversary of Warner Bros.'s film "The Lost Boys." A team of creators and a young, ambitious cast made the vampire horror film, which became a smash hit. The new all-star team (book by David Hornsby and Chris Hoch, directed by Michael Arden), along with The Rescues (music and lyrics), has brought a new musical of the same name to Broadway. Adapting a film into a musical is not uncommon these days. Did the creators manage to surprise?

Fans of the film should appreciate the musical’s adherence to the storyline and the preservation of almost all the characters. It's a shame that the film's taxidermist grandfather appears as a prop—the ashes of the deceased. Thanks to special effects and high-quality lighting design, all the film's most iconic vampire scenes are preserved: bridge jumps, motorcycle races, and more. The vampires were even given the opportunity to slowly fly above the stage, emphasizing their inherent ability to levitate.

The cast delivered: Shoshana Bean created an image of a relatable American single mother; her youngest son, Sam (Benjamin Pajak), convincingly fights evil in the form of the Santa Carla vampires; and Max (Paul Alexander Nolan), the owner of MAXVideo, exemplifies the ultimate villainous seducer. The main character, Michael (LJ Benet), sings beautifully and carefully establishes his identity. David (Ali Louis Bourzgui), the leader of the gang of vampires who have taken over the town, is magically attractive.

However, the main goal—creating a musical—wasn’t quite achieved. It's essentially a rock concert with a set based on an old film. The musical's primary expressive means—music and dance—fail to fulfill their primary purpose: revealing the characters' inner worlds. Furthermore, the image of vampires in the public consciousness has changed significantly over the past forty years. To offset this psychological dissonance, the show incorporates elements of satire and "vampire" humor, such as Draculas riding electric boards in the background and jokes about vampires, including musical quotations. But it doesn't work: vampires are either funny or serious. And then we'd see a different David: more socialized, perceptive, acute, a creature capable of human feelings. Since the film's release, more than a dozen vampire-themed musicals have appeared worldwide, including several rock operas. As a musical, The Lost Boys falls short of most of them. Yet it's a dynamic show featuring songs by the renowned indie-pop trio The Rescues and an amazing cast.


Photo Credit: Matthew Murphy