Is the cult film “The Lost Boys” on track to become a musical hit?
Based on a film released in 1987, considered a cult classic, also the source for two sequels and comic books, “The Lost Boys” is a weird combination of familiar 1930 eerie movies from the Universal Studios in the first act, and Marvel comic book stories with superheroes in the second act. To say that the contrast works perfectly would be a fallacy, but it is entertaining to some extent, and judging from the crowd reaction at the performance seen it seems to attract members from both the older and the younger generations.
Written originally by Jeffrey Boam, Janice Roberta Fischer and James Jeremias for the film, and adapted for the stage by David Hornsby and Chris Hoch, the musical, set in 1987, tells the story of Lucy Emerson, who moves to Santa Carla in California, a fictional town, with her two adolescent sons, Michael and Sam, following the breakdown of her marriage. Once settled in this new environment, Lucy finds a job at a store owned by Max, who soon takes a romantic interest in her; meanwhile, Michael develops a relationship with Star, a local girl he has just met, and Sam gets acquainted with two brothers his age, Edgar and Alan, he has met in a comic book store, who reveal that they are hunting vampires, because the city is full of them.
Soon, Michael finds out that Star is the former girlfriend of David, leader of a street gang, who offers him to join his group. After he agrees and undertakes a ritual, he begins to feel odd, and eventually concludes that David may be a vampire, and that he is being transformed into one as a result. Fortunately, he is saved by Sam, who has joined Edgar and Alan in their search to get rid of the vampires, something they achieve when they take examples from the comic book heroes they affectionate. Ultimately, it is revealed that the head vampire is not David but Max, eager to create a family of night creatures of his own, but Sam and his friends manage to get rid of him before he can exert his nasty powers.
This strange narrative set aside, the show, brilliantly lit by Jen Schriever and Michael Arden, with spectacular settings by Dane Laffrey, a multitude of special effects by Marcus Maurette, catchy costumes by Ryan Park, and aerial designs provided by Gwyneth Larsen and Billy Mulholland, proves to be oddly entertaining.
The only weak point of this presentation are the songs, written by “The Rescues” (Kyler England, Adrianne “AG” Gonzalez, and Gabriel Mann, described as choir geeks), with melodies sounding pretty much the same throughout, and lyrics lost in the loud rumble caused by the fact that, for the most part, they are created with multiple vocalizations, further enhanced by the echoes resulting from the size of the theater.
In their solo contributions, Shoshana Bean as Lucy (“Be Kind, Rewind”, “Wild”, “Lose Yourself” and “Michael”), Maria Wirries as Star (“Hurt a Little”, Now, Forever” and “War”), and Ali Louis Bourzgui as David (“Have to Have You”, Time to Kill”, “Lost Boy”, Belong to Someone” and “The Reckoning”, among them), still stand out particularly. Other than that, the large cast, strongly directed by Michael Arden, captures the attention, and delivers the goods, notably in the most important scenes.
Altogether, “The Lost Boys” is not a bad musical and proves more compelling than its subject matter might suggest. But it is an odd presentation, more surprising in the technical designs imagined around it, and more attractive in its least anticipated moments. The film was a definitive hit; no reason why the musical should not be one too.
Music Supervision: Ethan Popp • Music Direction: Julie McBride • Direction: Michael Arden • Choreography and Aerial Choreography: Lauren Yalango-Grant and Christopher Cree Grant • Fight Direction: Sordelet Inc. • Scenic Design: Dane Laffrey • Costume Design: Ryan Park • Hair and Wig Design: David Brian Brown • Makeup Design: Christina Grant • Aerial Design: Gwyneth Larsen und Bill Mulholland • Special Effects Design: Marcus Maurette • Lighting Design: Jen Schriever and Michael Arden • Sound Design: Adam Fisher • Electronic Music Design: Billy Jay Stein und Hiro Iida (Strange Cranium) • Dramaturgy: Jenna Clark Embrey • With: LJ Benet (Michael Emerson), Shoshana Bean (Lucy), Ali Louis Bourzgui (David), Benjamin Pajak (Sam Emerson), Maria Wirries (Star), Paul Alexander Nolan (Max), Jennifer Duka (Alan Frog), Miguel Gil (Edgar Frog), Brian Flores (Marko), Sean Grandillo (Dwayne), Dean Maupin (Paul) and others
Cover photo: Matthew Murphy