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Vampires are having a moment on Broadway as the musical adaptation of Joel Schumacher’s 1987 cult classic movie, The Lost Boys, secured four Tony Awards at the 2026 ceremony.
All I’ve seen on my TikTok feed in the weeks following the awards has been videos of people arriving at the Palace theater in the wee hours of the morning to wait in line to score same-day rush tickets; edit compilations of Ali Louis Bourzgui’s Tony-award winning performance as the iconic vampire leader David; and comparisons between the Broadway show and its source material.
I had to find out for myself what all the hype was about, and I had no idea what I was in for when I joined some 1,000 people in the Palace for a Friday night performance of The Lost Boys on Broadway. As soon as I got home from the mind-blowing, bone-chilling show, I watched the movie for the first time to see how the two compared. This comes as the Moana live-action remake received low ratings on Rotten Tomatoes.
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For those who have never seen either production (what are you waiting for?), the main gist of the story surrounds when a divorced mother, Lucy, and her two sons, Michael and Sam, move to the fictional seaside town of Santa Carla, California, known as the “murder capital of the world” due to the blood-sucking vampires.
“How far are you willing to go, Michael?” is a question asked by the seductively goth-punk and charismatic David in both versions. Kiefer Sutherland played David in the movie, and he is also a co-producer for the Broadway production.
Michael goes as far as taking the first step of vampire initiation by unknowingly drinking David’s blood out of a bottle. After Michael begins his transition to a half-vampire, Sam, the Frog brothers, and Star work together to take down the gang of vampires to restore their human-ness.
In my opinion, the musical has better character development, storytelling, and horror than the campy and highly influential 1987 movie.
The Lost Boys is an extremely strong musical adaptation of the movie, focusing more on the backstories of the beloved characters to add drama to the story. In the movie, the audience doesn’t know the exact reason why Lucy (Shoshana Bean) decided to up and move her sons from Arizona to California; however, in the musical, we discover that Michael (LJ Benet) had a bruised rib from his father, whom they left behind.
The musical version, written by David Hornsby and Chris Hoch, directed by Michael Arden, with music score and lyrics by the Rescues, turned the gang of vampires (Bourzgui, Maria Wirries, Brian Flores, Sean Grandillo, and Dean Maupin) into a rock band, who perform hypnotizing songs, such as Have to Have You and the melodic singing of Michael's name.
This was one of the best creative decisions the team behind the musical made, as in the movie, the vampires aren’t in a band. In their place, at the concert where Star and Michael meet for the first time, was an oiled-up, muscled, saxophone-playing man. The saxophone man is featured in the musical offering comedic relief and the campy vibes from the movie.
Michael’s younger brother, Sam (Benjamin Pajak), was given a clever character adjustment in the musical, as the gay subtext was very intentional in the musical. Sam still had his Rob Lowe posters hung up in his room and ‘80s-inspired outfit, like in the movie, but he was more nerdy, flamboyant, and scared of vampires in the musical.
It was obvious that the character was gay on the stage, which was further solidified in his pride-themed ode to superheroes. The choice was perfection, adding clarity and depth to his own storyline.
The movie was certainly campy and iconic for its time, and viewers don’t actually see the vampires flying on-screen. Instead, the ‘80s-era “special effect” just showed from the vampire’s point-of-view of flying through the air. In the musical, my jaw dropped when the vampires seamlessly flew around the stage.
The climax of the musical, when Michael made the decision to jump off the train tracks with his new family of vampires, was beautifully portrayed on the stage, as he got his wings. It was an unforgettable moment that had me on the edge of my seat.
The special effects and set design (three-tiered set with pits and moving parts) are worth a viewing all on their own. I continue to say that this is one of the most raw and truly “musical” musicals I have seen this season. In an era of stripped-back stage design and costuming, The Lost Boys is the antithesis, offering everything from powerful singing and songs that will be stuck in your head to literal flying vampires and a thoughtfully developed storyline and stage.
There is much more I could keep saying about The Lost Boys on Broadway, but you should see it for yourself to experience the jump-scares, haunting ballads, and flying bloodthirsty vampires. I know I already have tickets to see it again.
For those who want to know what all the hype is about before purchasing tickets, The Lost Boys cast album is set to be released on July 24 and will be available on all major music streaming platforms.
