🧛 The Lost Boys

Review

I went into The Lost Boys knowing the movie, loving the nostalgia, and having absolutely no idea what to expect from it as a Broadway musical.

Holy crap.

They hit this one out of the park.

There is a very specific line a musical adaptation of The Lost Boys has to walk. It needs the leather, the blood, the ridiculousness of 1980s horror, the rock music, and, apparently, a saxophone player who absolutely understands the assignment. But underneath all of that, it still needs enough musical and emotional substance to justify its place on a Broadway stage.

Somehow, The Lost Boys finds the perfect balance between cheese and beauty.

And I mean that as the highest compliment.

The Music: A Beautiful Kind of Hypnosis

The score may have been the biggest surprise of the evening. I downloaded the album almost immediately after leaving the theater, which probably tells you everything you need to know.

This is unapologetically a rock musical, but it is the vocal arrangements that elevate it into something extraordinary. Several numbers feature lush, multi-part harmonies, while others strip away the instrumentation entirely for moments of exposed a cappella singing.

The result is mesmerizing.

In fact, it feels almost like an extension of the vampire mythology itself. The flying makes these characters supernatural visually, but the harmonies make them supernatural sonically. There are moments when the voices lock together so beautifully that they seem to pull the audience into a trance, as though the vampires themselves are using the music to place us under their spell.

"Take My Heart With You" is particularly stunning in this regard. Its layered harmonies are haunting, intimate, and almost hypnotic. "If We Make It Through the Night" expands that musical beauty across the entire company, creating one of the evening's most impressive ensemble moments.

And then there is the saxophone.

Because, of course, there is.

If you are going to resurrect the glorious excess of 1980s rock, you had better bring the sax player. The production embraces this musical nostalgia with just the right amount of theatrical cheese. It never feels embarrassed by its source material or its decade. Instead, it commits wholeheartedly.

And that is precisely why it works.

Not All Monsters Have Fangs

For all the fun The Lost Boys has with vampires, some of its most affecting moments have very little to do with the supernatural.

"Belong to Someone" contains a particularly striking image involving the smell of whiskey and cigarettes representing something familiar and safe. It is a small lyrical moment, but one that carries an unexpectedly darker implication.

In a story filled with literal monsters, we are reminded that not every monster is foreign or supernatural.

Sometimes the monster is a father.

That contrast adds an emotional complexity that I did not anticipate from a musical built around 1980s vampire culture.

Yet beneath the darkness, the leather, and the rock music, The Lost Boys ultimately became something else entirely for me.

It became a boy-mom story.

There is a seemingly insignificant exchange between Sam and his mother, Lucy, that nearly brought me to tears. Sam expresses surprise that his mother has read his book.

"You read my book?"

Her response is simple.

"Of course I did."

That's it.

And somehow, amid the vampires, blood, and theatrical spectacle, that was the line that got me.

Because, of course she did.

She's his mom.

That tiny moment captures the unconditional attention and devotion of a mother in a way that needs no elaborate musical number or dramatic speech. It gives the production a surprisingly tender emotional center and reminds us what is ultimately at stake beneath all the supernatural chaos.

A Cast Worth Following Into the Darkness

The talent on this stage is extraordinary.

Ali Louis Bourzgui as David is exceptional casting. Having previously seen him in Hadestown, I was particularly excited to watch him take on this role. His David possesses the perfect combination of charisma, danger, and magnetic stage presence. He commands attention effortlessly, making it entirely believable that others would be drawn into his world.

Shoshana Bean as Lucy provides much of the production's emotional grounding, balancing the demands of a powerful musical performance with the warmth and vulnerability of a mother desperately trying to protect her family.

At our performance, Mason Olshavsky stepped into the role of Michael, and I genuinely would never have known he was an understudy without seeing the casting information. His performance was confident, fully realized, and completely at home at the center of the production. In a show with such demanding vocal and physical elements, that level of preparation and assurance deserves recognition.

The company as a whole delivers remarkable vocal precision, particularly during the ensemble harmonies that make the score so memorable.

And then there is Ben Crawford in a Dracula costume.

I will never get that image out of my head.

Frankly, I don't want to.

Flying, Stagecraft, and the Unsung Heroes of the Wig Department

The visual effects are another major triumph.

The flying sequences are executed with remarkable theatrical effectiveness, creating moments that feel genuinely supernatural rather than simply technical demonstrations. The effects enhance the storytelling without overwhelming the performers or distracting from the music.

And then there is the upside-down sequence.

It is one of those wonderful moments when the audience gets to enjoy the illusion while anyone familiar with theatrical production cannot help but marvel at the logistics required to make it happen.

Which brings me to an important observation:

Mad respect to the wig department.

When performers can be turned upside down and the visual presentation remains convincing, somebody behind the scenes deserves an extra round of applause.

The costuming similarly understands the assignment. Beautiful is not necessarily the word I would use to describe the aesthetic of The Lost Boys, nor should it be. This is a world of vampires, leather, rebellion, and supernatural horror.

Instead, the costumes are exactly right.

The designs incorporate just enough 1980s nostalgia to honor the film without allowing the production to become a period costume party. The overall visual language feels cohesive, intentional, and wonderfully faithful to the spirit of the source material.

Nostalgia Without Becoming a Gimmick

Perhaps one of the smartest decisions made by this production is its refusal to apologize for being The Lost Boys.

The throwbacks to 1980s horror-film humor are handled with genuine affection. The iconic "death by stereo" reference gets its moment, and the production understands exactly when to wink at the audience without allowing those references to become the entire point of the evening.

That distinction matters.

Nostalgia can become exhausting when a production relies entirely on recognition rather than creating something worthwhile of its own. Here, the callbacks feel like rewards for fans of the original film while the musical performances and storytelling provide more than enough substance for audiences who may be unfamiliar with it.

And then comes the additional scene at the end.

Pure perfection.

Without spoiling the moment, the audience's response was absolute gold. Watching the room react became part of the theatrical experience itself, providing exactly the kind of final punctuation this production deserved.

Final Thoughts

I expected vampires.

I expected 1980s nostalgia.

I expected rock music, camp, and probably a healthy dose of theatrical ridiculousness.

I did not expect to be this musically impressed. I did not expect the harmonies to be among the most memorable musical moments of my evening. I did not expect a simple exchange between a mother and her son to hit me squarely in the heart.

And I certainly did not expect to leave the theater and immediately download the album.

But that is what great musical theater does.

The Lost Boys succeeds because it understands that spectacle and substance do not have to compete. Its humor never undermines its heart, its nostalgia never replaces its artistry, and its rock score delivers far more musical sophistication than the premise might initially suggest.

For audiences who enjoy rock musicals, 1980s nostalgia, supernatural storytelling, and a healthy dose of camp, this production is an enthusiastic recommendation. Its horror themes, violence, and mature material make it better suited to teens and adults than younger children.

Ghost Light Review Rating: 9.5/10

At Ghost Light Review, we believe the best theater follows you home, lingering through melody, movement, or meaning long after the curtain falls.

The Lost Boys followed me home.

Apparently, it brought a saxophone.

Ghost Light Review — Where Broadway Stays Lit.