‘The Lost Boys’ Broadway Review: Musical Adaptation of ‘80s Teen Vampire Flick is Rich in Imagination, Filled With Spectacular Effects

“Turning a movie into a musical reeks of desperation,” says a character in the new Broadway musical adaptation of the 1987 film “The Lost Boys.”

That insider wink to the audience gets a big laugh — and truer words were never spoken. But this stunner of a show, based on the Joel Schumacher film, is a solid theatrical transformation, rich in imagination, humor and heart — and with spectacular special effects.

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It should also break the curse of flop Broadway musicals about vampires, following the bloodletting of 2002’s “Dance of the Vampires” (music by Jim Steinman), 2004’s “Dracula: The Musical” (music by Frank Wildhorn), and 2006’s “Lestat” (music by Elton John). Or at least it has an “Outsiders” chance, what with that 2024 hit musical showing a box office pathway by tapping into the evergreen potential of adolescent angst and pluck. After all, stranger things have happened and the teen strategy certainly worked for the “Buffy, the Vampire Slayer,” “The Vampire Diaries,” and “Twilight” franchises.

Director Michael Arden (Tony awards for “Parade” and “Maybe Happy Ending”) returns in top form here (let’s call “Queen of Versailles” an outlier) in an epic-yet-elegant production that lives up to the MTV-stylish film that became a Gen X favorite.

Because of the size and scale of the musical production (reportedly in the $25 million-plus range), the show nixed an out-of-town run. While “The Lost Boys” could have benefitted from more work — particularly in the troublesome second act — the production should still satisfy longtime fans and be an attractive sell for a younger market.

Co-writers David Hornsby (TV’s “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”) and Chris Hoch improve the screenplay, tightening the original storyline, cutting some characters, upping the funny and giving the show more warmth.

The story again centers on just-divorced mom Lucy Emerson (Shoshana Bean, terrific) and her two teenage sons — sullen Michael, 17 and nerdy Sam, 14. They’re seeking a fresh start by relocating to a California coastal town where dozens of its residents are mysteriously disappearing. (What is even more strange is that the outbreak of missing persons hasn’t caused a town panic, or made national headlines.)

Feeling restless and reckless, Michael (LJ Benet) is drawn to a hard-rocking local band that is secretly a quartet of young vampires that is literally sucking the life out of the community. The leader of the pack is charismatic David (Ali Louis Bourzgui), played by Keifer Sutherland in the film. Wanting to be break free from his family and with the added seduction of Star (Maria Wirries), Michael is peer-pressured into drinking from a bottle whose contents turns him into a half-vampire. His graduation as a full member of this blood brotherhood awaits after his first kill.

On discovering his brother’s nocturnal transitioning — “Don’t tell mom!” begs Michael — Sam (Benjamin Pajak), played by Corey Haim in the film, teams up with the Frog Brothers (Jennifer Duka and Miguel Gil), a pair of fellow comic book fanatics and self-styled vampire hunters, to try to save Michael before his first everlasting bite.

Families — lost and found — are at the heart of the show as is the young’s desperate need to belong —whether it’s in a gang, band, club or coven (or in Lucy’s day, a communal hippie life). Add teen rebellion, father issues, parental abuse, rites of passage and the allure of immortality and you have some potent subjects to deal with, even if they don’t always fit comfortably with the show’s shifting tones.

Benet (Disney Channel’s “Dog with a Blog”) taps into Michael’s adolescent vulnerability and handles his big numbers assuredly. Bourzgui, smashing in the title role in “The Who’s Tommy,” brings mystery, a cool swagger and menace to the role, as well as a dash of homoeroticism. (The scene where he intimately teaches Michael to play the guitar is swoon-worthy.) Paul Alexander Nolan has charm, smarm and danger as Max, the video store owner, who has duplicitous sights on the Emerson family.

As Sam, Benjamin Pajak, who played Winthrop in “The Music Man” and the title role in Encore!’s “Oliver!”, nicely segues his talent to teen-hood as a “nervous dweeb” who has an eye for fashionable footwear and a boy crush on Rob Lowe. Sam’s coming-of-age arc, where he discovers queerness is his superpower, is one of the fresher elements in the adaptation.

But the broad comedy of that role — and especially that of the Frog Brothers — sometimes imbalances the show’s tone as the musical struggles with the conflicting demands of humor, horror and sentiment.

The L.A. indie-rock group The Rescues gives the show its drive and does well musicalizing its more intimate, playful and personal moments. It also manages to evoke the ‘80s sound while still feeling contemporary — and the choral harmonies are lovely, too. The show’s ‘80s atmosphere is brat packed with Ryan Park’s new wave costumes and David Brian Brown’s hair and wig designs — dig those mullets, Mohawks and ‘highlighted pompadours. There’s even hat tip to the film with a cameo by “the sweaty sax guy.”

The spectacular lighting (Jen Schriever and Arden) and sound design (Adam Fisher) create a world of foreboding and creepiness. Dane Lafrey’s magnificent, multi-level design makes maximum use of the Palace’s cavernous stage to create a lair to die for.

It’s also a grand space for mesmerizing aerial work, staged by Gwyneth Larsen and Billy Mulholland. Those exquisite night flights bring to mind another bunch of Neverlanders longing for home. In “The Lost Boys” at least one of them makes it back.