
Loading summary
A
AI is transforming customer service. It's real and it works. And with fin, we've built the number one AI agent for customer service. We're seeing lots of cases where it's solving up to 90% of real queries for real businesses. This includes the real world, complex stuff like issuing a refund or canceling an order. And we also see it when FIN goes up against competitors. It's top of all the performance benchmarks, top of the G2 leaderboard. And if you're not happy, we'll refund you up to a million dollars, which I think says it all. Check it out for yourself at Fin AI Upgrade your laundry routine with a durable and reliable Maytag laundry pair at Lowes. Like the new Maytag washer and dryer with performance enhanced stain fighting power designed to cut through serious dirt and grime. And what's great is this laundry pair is in stock and ready for delivery when you need it the most. Don't miss out. Shop Maytag in store or online today at Lowe's. Want to make a difference in your community, but not sure how? Go to GoFundMe.com right now and start a GoFundMe. Seriously. Your next fundraiser doesn't have to start in a school parking lot or a church basement. You can start a GoFundMe today in just minutes. Fundraise for yourself, a friend or family member or an organization. All that matters is that you care about them. GoFundMe is the trusted place to fundraise for what you care about. With no pressure to hit your fundraising goal, but tons of tools to help you reach it, you can confidently start fundraising right now. Whether it's creative, local or critical, your cause matters and there's a reason why. GoFundMe is backed by millions and chosen by fundraisers everywhere. It works and it matters. GoFundMe helps you make a real difference. Start your GoFundMe today at gofundme.com that's gofundme.com G-O F U N D M E dot com this is a commercial message brought to you by GoFundMe.
B
A vampire biker gang who are also a band. I have been saying for some time that the Lost Boys is among my most anticipated new musicals this season on Broadway, despite the fact I know almost nothing about it. Today, that's about to change. Oh my God. Hey, welcome back to my theatre themed YouTube channel. Or hello to you if you're listening to this on podcast platforms. My name is Mickey Jo and I am obsessed with all things theatre I am a professional theatre critic and pundit and content creator here on social media and today we are going to be talking about the new Broadway musical set to open in 2026, the Lost Boys. It's an adaptation of the film of the same name with which I have no familiarity whatsoever. But with the commencement of the current Broadway season, we are starting to see a little bit of a marketing push from the Lost Boys. They have recently announced their Broadway cast, some more details about the run, and more importantly, they have started to unve unveil some of the music. This, for any new musical is the biggest indicator of its identity as well as its potential success. Today we're going to be talking about not only why the Lost Boys is such an exciting new musical project based on who is in the cast, who is in the creative team, what we've heard of the score, as well as some exclusive information that has been revealed to me by individuals who were in attendance at the workshop presentation. They've seen the entire show already and they told me a little bit about what to expect. But we're also going to talk, as we very often do, about the big picture on Broadway and whether we think the Lost Boys in this current very financially challenging Broadway landscape and sandwiched among many other exciting new musicals has a great shot at ongoing commercial success. Is it picking the right time to open or is it going to linger in the shadow of other shows like the Outsiders? And finally, I would not be doing my duty as an Internet journalist if I did not remind you all of the fact that vampire musicals on Broadway are a little bit cursed. Will the Lost Boys finally break that cycle? All this and more will be discussed today. As always, I'm going to be bringing you all of my thoughts and insights and if you have any to share in the comments section down down below, I would love to hear them. What do you think about the new upcoming stage Broadway musical adaptation of the Lost Boys? Do you have tickets already? Do you plan to buy tickets? Do you think this could be the 2026 Tony Award winning best new musical? Let me know what you think. And if you enjoy listening to what I have to say and you haven't already, for whatever reason, make sure to subscribe to my theater themed YouTube channel. Feel free to share it with a friend. Maybe by the time the Lost Boys opens on Broadway I could have a hundred thousand subscribers here on YouTube. That would be very exciting. Obviously when it does arrive I plan to go and see it in New York and share a full you as I do for all of the major musical theatre openings happening on Broadway and in the West End. If you don't want to miss any of those, turn on channel notifications. So YouTube lets you know every time I share a new video or go follow me on podcast platforms, but I fear that is introduction enough and it is time for us to talk about the Lost Boys. So we're going to begin today by educating ourselves at the time of filming. This is just a couple of hours after the Lost Boys did a panel at New York City Comic Con, which we will talk about. But before we do, let's go to the source material. Let's find out a little bit more about the film upon which this is based, which I dare say many of you watching this will have seen already. This was in 1987, released eight years before I was born, which is not much of an excuse, but I'm going to stick with it nonetheless. I knew that it was vampires. I knew that Kiefer Sutherland had starred in it. This was basically the extent of my knowledge about the Lost Boys. I didn't know the warriors movie either, for what it's worth, or the Outsiders Listen, Young male fictitious American gangs I do not know, but Broadway musicals I do anyway. This was a 1987 an American comedy horror film directed by Joel Schumacher. I thought it was a little bit darker, so to hear that it's a comedy horror film already is skewing tonally in ways I wasn't quite anticipating. Joel Schumacher, famous as far as I'm concerned for having directed a couple of Batman movies. He took over from Tim Burton and really moved the needle in terms of the inherent campiness giving us Batman and Robin and Batman Forever, lest we forget. Oh, the 90s were a time. But of course, he also has some musical theater links as well. I believe he wrote the screenplay for the Wiz movie and of course directed the feature film adaptation of the Phantom of the Opera musical in the early 2000s, about which the theatrical community is divided. The screenplay for the Lost Boys was written by Janice Fisher, James Jeremias, and Jeffrey Bohm. So many J's, and the film follows two teenaged brothers, teenaged in the past tense. Like that's something that happened to them. Who move with their divorced mother. It's not incorrect. I just find it funny. Who move with their divorced mother to the fictional town of Santa Carla, California, only to discover that the town is a haven for vampires. If it's happened to me once, it has not, in fact happened to me once. The title, of course, is a reference to the lost boys in J.M. barrie's stories about Peter Pan and Neverland, who, like vampires, never grow up. And it's also a very apt example for this particular story because these are teenage, young, adult, young men vampires, rather than the kind of vampire that you would have seen in, in a lot of media prior to this. Rather than your Draculas, your Lestats, these were just before the times of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, vampires with youthful, contemporary, anarchic vibes. These were troublesome young vampires. And if Bram Stoker's Dracula was, as a story, a means of exploring the frightening possibility of, you know what, if we in society aren't able to protect our women from wrongdoers, then it's very possible that the Lost Boys, when it came out in the 80s, was an exploration of youthful anarchy and rebellion and gang culture. I say this with no confirmation, by the way. This is all just my assumption. I'm not going to read the extent of the plot because I want to be to some degree surprised. And, you know, I might see it before I see the Broadway musical adaptation. So I can speak to the extent to which it's been changed. But Kefa Sutherland starred as David. Jason Patrick and Corey Haim starred as Michael and Sam Emerson. Corey Feldman, Jamie Gertz, Alex Winter, currently starring in Waiting for Godot on Broadway. Also in the cast, as was Diane Wiest. Love a bit of Diane Wiest, and who among us doesn't? Now, I believe that the titular Lost Boys are not only a gang of vampires, I believe they are also a biker gang. From my understanding about this film, and perhaps we will learn more in the official press release for the Broadway musical. Here is one that they sent me when they recently announced the cast. Let's talk about this principal casting, creative team dates and ticket on sale announced for the Lost Boys, a new musical with the fan ticket pre sale having begun already, I'm useless to you in this moment as a source of information because that already happened on October 9, 2025. So if you want to get tickets, I hope to hell that you already have. Okay, here we go. A teenage vampire movie that was tawdry, pulpy and sexually charged. My goodness. The Lost Boys was a critical and commercial success and has since achieved cult classic status by transcending the genre with its unique blend of horror and comedy. There it is. The film defined a new era within pop culture by shifting the depiction of vampires for a younger generation. This is what I was saying. The Lost Boys was the last word in the 1980s as a teen vamp angst, coming of age story, physical transformation, sexual awakening, experimentation. So again, it's using vampirism as this metaphor, as this allegory for puberty and rebellion and finding yourself and sort of striking out against a conservative society and upbringing. Perhaps the film appeals to multiple generations and helped pave the way for subsequent film and television projects like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, True Blood, and who could forget Twilight. MVSA make vampires sexy again. And it seems they did. Now some details about the production before we talk about the individuals involved. Performances are scheduled to begin on Friday, March 27, 2026 with an opening night of Sunday, April 26, 2026 at the Palace Theatre on Broadway, making it one of the final shows of the season, one of the last to have its opening night. By extension, one of the last to be reviewed. This past season on Broadway we saw a couple of shows like Dead Outlaw springs to Mind, suffering by opening a little later in the season and struggling to assert themselves amongst all of the of the other already successful shows like Death Becomes her, like maybe Happy Ending. So in the face of that, it's a bold move. We are really gonna have to wait to see those vampires. Now this is all going to be at the Palace Theatre on Broadway. Tickets will go on sale to the general public at 12pm Eastern Time on Tuesday, October 14 at broadwaydirect.com but you can also find out more information from the website lostboysmusical.com which brings us to all of the various juicy names involved in this project. I want to talk about the cast, but I also want to talk about the creatives and I really want to talk about the producers. Let's bite some of those juicy names, shall we? Now, unusually, I'm going to start with producers about which I rarely often have much to say, but on this occasion I do because we're seeing something incredibly interesting. And I told you recently that Broadway might just be dying a little bit. And you know, everything that used to work in the early 2000s, even in the 90s and decades gone by, wasn't necessarily working anymore. Shows were not recouping as quickly as they ought to. Even the very successful ones like the Outsiders, like maybe Happy Ending, like Death becomes her. All of which is indicative of the fact that Broadway is due for a shake up. And this might just be one small manifestation of that because this is being jointly produced by James Carpinello, Marcus Chait and Patrick Wilson. If those names are familiar to you, it's because all three of them, I believe, have a background in acting. Patrick Wilson in Fact was of course in the Joel Schumacher directed Phantom of the Opera movie as Raoul that we have already mentioned. Marcus Chait is an actor known for his performance in Million Dollar Baby. James Carpinello has been in a handful of Broadway shows and now all three are producing this very big, very expensive new musical. And that's an aspect of this that I'm going to be watching very carefully because on the one hand, you know, they are newer to the world of producing, but on the other hand, and they're going to have many producing and investing partners so they won't be entirely unshephered through this process. But on the other hand, what you also have is three eager, passionate individuals who understand the business who are bringing already, it seems, new ideas to the table. I mean, a Broadway musical having a New York Comic Con panel because there is overlap in their is intrigue there and there is a sizable enough fandom is a smart enough idea that a lot of other shows followed suit. I believe the Lost Boys were the first ones to make the move to do a New York Comic Con panel and then various other shows did in their wake. That's what I've been told at least. But with any new musical, one of our biggest questions is going to be who is writing this thing and what have they written before? Well, the book is by David Hornsby and Chris Hock with music and lyrics by the Rescues. I so nearly said the rescuers, like the little Disney rodents that flew around the world to save the children, not them, the rescues. Let us immediately find out who these people are because I am not familiar with them. Okay. An American rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 2008, their music can be classified as indie pop rock. And when it comes to artists, musicians, performers from outside of the theater industry writing their first theatrical scores, we have seen a whole range in terms of success and artistic merit in the past. Sara Bareilles work on Waitress is some of the best. Cyndi Lauper's work on Kinky Boots was popular enough. And I won't do other artists the indignity pointing out the work that they've done that I believe to be substandard. But I'll let you give your thoughts in the comments. Now, one of the book writers, Chris Hock, is also an actor. Historically, I think he was in Shrek. Oh, he was in the North American tour of Jagged Little Pill. He was in A Christmas Carol on Broadway. He was off Broadway in Clueless. He was in War Paint, Matilda on Broadway, LA Cage on Broadway, Original Broadway Cast Of Shrek. Die, Mummy, Die. Off Broadway. Wow. Spamalot. And oh, this is a great one. The original Broadway production of Dracula into 2004. Also the world premiere production in 2001. Not a successful musical, but evidently one that Chris Hock had a front seat to. That makes me very intrigued about his writing for the Lost Boys and a lot of those leaning more towards the comedic. But of course what an actor chooses to do and what they then write as a writer, not necessarily, you know, specific to just one tonal genre. And he's only one of two book writers. The other is David Hornsby, who it seems is also an actor known for appearance appearances on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Again, this seems to speak to a comedic inclination which based on everything that I had been hearing and seeing about the Lost Boys is not the avenue that I thought we were driving our motorcycles down. If you look at the artwork, which I do find, I will say just a little bit puzzling with the choice of some of the colors involved and I hate nothing more than a vague sort of half faded font. I wish that they would just come out and be a little bit more declarative, if only because it's going to look really naff on all of my YouTube thumbnail else about it. I'm very, very self involved when it comes to these Broadway logos. But we have a hand. We have a sort of a Northern Lights thing going on here. I don't know that it's saying vampires or California to me at this time. It does feel familiar of is that the Prince of Egypt type face that I feel like that looks like we got a little flamage happening. That's exciting. Let's carry on with this creative team and the name that made this stand out some time ago as one of this season's most anticipated new musicals. That name is director Michael Arden, who is also jointly credited with lighting design. He could be nominated for two Tony Awards for this show. He could win two Tony Awards for this show. And it's not even the only new musical he's directing on Broadway this season. His other the Queen of Versailles just started preview performances. Michael Arden is also an actor and a creative, but most recently the Tony Award winning director of maybe Happy Ending. He also won a Tony Award for his direction of the recent revival of Parade and he's sort of the most celebrated musical theatre director working on Broadway at the moment. So that's a really big indication of quality. Now he is joined on the creative team by choreographers Lauren Yolango, Grant and Christopher Cree, both from Parade, with music supervision by two time Tony Award nominee Ethan Popp of Tina the Tina Turner Musical and orchestrations and musical arrangements by Ethan Pop and the Rescues. And vocal arrangements by the rescues. And that's not all. We also have scenic design by Tony Award winner Dane Laffrey, who did fantastic work on maybe Happy Ending. Costume design by Ryan park, lighting design by Jen Shriver of A Stranger Loop and Michael Arden. As I mentioned, sound designed by Adam Fisher, who of course did the brilliant sound design for Sunset Boulevard and who Nicole Scherzinger once said was great. Watson Stage Awards 2024 if you know, you know. Video design also by Dane Laffrey. Aerial design by Billy Mulholland. Hold on just a minute. Aerial design. When is the last time we saw aerial design credited in a press release? They have snuck that right in there. But I think people are going to be flying in this show, which is already an incredibly exciting thing, going into the Palace Theatre after its stun renovation, after the extraordinary amount of work it took to lift the thing slightly higher into the sky is exciting enough. But to know that they are also going to be lifting their performers into the sky and they're going to be flying in this musical, that's incredibly exciting to me. I'm always down for that. So this is aerial designed by Billy Mulholland and Gwyneth Larson of Breaking Surface with production management by Juniper Street Productions, casting by the Telse Office, Craig Burns and Christine Charbonne, and general management by Bespoke Theatricals with David Coidell serving as executive producer. I probably mispronounced a handful of different surnames there, but since we've mentioned the casting team, I think it's time for us to talk about the car need to restock inventory, cover seasonal dips or manage payroll. On Deck's small business line of credit provides immediate access to funds up to $200,000 exactly when your business needs it. With flexible draws, transparent pricing and full control over rep, you can tackle unexpected expenses without missing a beat. Apply today@ondeck.com and funds could be available as soon as tomorrow. Depending on certain loan attributes, your business loan may be issued by On Deck or Celtic Bank. On Deck does not lend in North Dakota. All loans and amounts subject to lender approval cost. And we're going to try and gain an insight into the roles that they are playing and who is, if anything, like a leading character. Who is supporting where the Tony buzz might be be based on how they correspond with the cast of the original film. Stay with me. This is a learning moment. So who is Kiefer Sutherland? Kiefer Sutherland was David, which in the stage version is Ali Lewis Borsgi. I am a big fan of Ali's. I first saw him in the who's Tommy, a production that I didn't enjoy. You can go and watch the review if you wish to, but Ali was a standout star. He went on to star in We Live in Cairo at New York Theatre Workshop, as well as Hadestown on Broadway as a replacement Orpheus. He has a phenomenal voice, as you would expect, and a voice that I've always thought is very nostalgic in quality. There is a depth and resonance to his tone that sounds very like 1980s. And so for this show, which presumably is still set in that era, I dare say that they're going to play on that nostalgia and keep it somewhat linked to that vibe, even if not explicitly. That's a really smart choice and I'm excited to see him attached to any kind of a new project. Michael and Sam Emerson, meanwhile, are going to be played by a. Benjamin Pajak and LJ Bennett. LJ Is a Los Angeles actor and singer known for his versatility as a dramatic comedic and musical performer on stage and in film and television. Recently he appeared in the 2025 Hollywood bowl production of Jesus Christ Superstar. That was a hell of a cast. Plenty of other credits here, including as young Tommy in the Equity rock musical the who's Tommy, directed by Brian Purcell. This is a previous production to the Broadway one, but that's already funny to me. How many tommies does it take to make a vampire musical? Benjamin Pajak, meanwhile, is deeply honored to be part of the lost Bo role brought to life on screen by the late legendary Corey Heim. His Broadway debut in the Music man with Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster that is not that long ago earned him the Theatre World Award. Additionally, he received acclaim for his title role in Oliver at Encores New York City. Oh, this is like a very young person. Okay. Played Oliver in Oliver at City center, which was quite recent. Wow. That's why he's deeply honored to be part of the Lost Boys and that's why he has said as much. You don't keep saying that throughout your career in your bio as an actor. That goes away now. I assume that a lot of the other charact here are members of the gang. We have Maria Wories as star Maria, most recently seen on Broadway in Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends, also in Dear Evan Hansen and Kinky Boots Off Broadway. There is Jennifer Duker, overjoyed to be making her Broadway debut in the role of Alan Frog. One played I think by Jameson Newlander in the film. I have questions about the reinterpretation of this character. Miguel Gill, the wonderful Miguel Gill is playing Edgar Frog. This was Corey Feldman in the movie Miguel, most recently seen on the Kim Gamblier Kimbo Tour playing the role of Seth, a role which he understudied on Broadway. I actually got to see him do it both on Broadway and on tour in Chicago. I think he's fantastic. Incredibly endearing. Young performer. Brian Flores will be playing Marco. He's next going to be seen in Oratorio for Living Things at the Signature Theater. This was the Alex Winter role on stage. Sean Grandillo is playing Dwayne. That was Billy Worth. Dean Mopin is playing Paul. That was Brooke McCarthy. And I believe not having total familiarity with all of these performers that that is generally the younger members of the cast, I assume that an ensemble will be forthcoming. How did they word this? Yeah. Principal casting announced. So we're going to have more names announced as part of the show. But there are two more performers that I haven't mentioned yet and they are Casey Levy and Paul Alexander Nolan. Now Casey Levy is playing the Diane Wiest role, if you can wrap your head around that. And Paul Nolan is playing, playing the Edward Herman role. Edward Herman of the Gilmore Girls, he was Max in the movie. So in both senses a real shift in type is what I think we're seeing here. But they are both incredibly exciting, dynamic, edgy, fine voiced performers. This is going to sound absolutely fantastic. Yeah. Casey Levy is playing Lucy Emerson, an Olivier and Grammy nominated actor for her work on Broadway. Hopefully soon she can add a Tony Award nomination to that list. Casey Ho has conquered many of theatre's most vocally demanding roles for women, including Elf, Elphaba and Elsa in Frozen. Was also known for her role in the multi award winning revival of Hair and has recently stepped into her Mother era with some terrific acclaim. She was sensationally fantastic as Diana in the UK premiere production of Next to Normal and she can currently be seen playing Mother in Ragtime on Broadway at Lincoln Center Theatre which is opening very, very soon. And that does mean that she also is in two different music musicals this season. She, just like Michael Arden, will be eligible for more than one Tony Award nomination. So chances are we're gonna hear Casey Levy's name at the ceremony next June and I hope that we hear it more than once. Very early days for me to say that but I have a lot of love for Casey Levy. I think she is a phenomenal vocalist. We've known that for years, but a really compellingly present visceral actress. Her Diana in Next Doorbell. I can't tell you how great it was. Go and watch the pro shot if you haven't already. Then you will believe me. And Paul Ale Nolan I just saw last weekend in the Heart down at La Jolla Playhouse, but I have also seen him on Broadway in Water for Elephants and he is such an endearing performer who is simultaneously capable of such threat and instilling such tension. I have no idea what this role is, but I am confident that Paul Alexander Nolan will bring some kind of a mesmerizing, compelling quality to it because he always does. All of which hopefully goes some of the way towards explaining why I am excited for the Lost Boys based on the people involved. But carrying on, let's circle back to the material, what we know so far, what we've heard so far, and what I have been told.
A
I'm Scott Hansen, host of NFL Red Zone. Lowe's knows Sundays hit different when you earn them. We've got you covered with outdoor power equipment from Cobalt and everything you need to weatherproof your your deck with Trex decking. Plus with lawn care from Scotts and of course Pit Boss grills and accessories, you can get a home field advantage all season long. So get to Lowe's, get it done and earn your Sunday. Lowe's official Partner of the NFL On Deck is built to back small businesses like yours. Whether you're buying equipment, expanding your team or bridging cash flow gaps, On Deck's loans up to $250,000 help make it happen faster fast. Rated A by the Better Business Bureau and earning thousands of five Star Trust pilot reviews, On Deck delivers funding you can count on. Apply in minutes@ondeck.com depending on certain loan attributes, your business loan may be issued by On Deck or Celtic Bank. On Deck does not lend in North Dakota. All loans and amounts subject to lender approval.
B
Exclusively. So we don't know much about the material. They have just started releasing music. We have had one full track released on streaming platforms. I believe there is an ep. I think they're calling it the Santa Carla Sessions coming on Halloween I believe so at the end of this month that has just started. They also performed at least one other song at their Comic Con panel. I have heard a little snippet of the introduction that somebody shared on social media, but many other clips of it currently have the audio Blocked for whatever reason. Perhaps that has been recognized, notified by the time I am releasing this and you can go and take a listen. That sounded more like a slower ballad of a solo, more introspective one, which I believe was being performed by the character of Michael, one of the two brothers. The other song which we have heard in full already and which I have listened to multiple times at the gym specifically is called have to have you. And it's very 80s rocky, thrashy, dark, a little bit sexy. Works perfectly, I think, for the tone that they are trying to go for here. And it's also very musically and theatrically exciting. We are hearing some really satisfying vocal arrangement happening already with the different voices. Everyone sounds fantastic on it. I think this particular musical genre is a great one for telling this story. With a lot of vampire musicals on Broadway, it's gone to a more gothic horror, kind of a grand, Frank, wild, horny, Andrew Lloyd Webber kind of a place. Jim Steinman also. And it's been mega and it's been overblown. And for this to be something a little more, I guess, a vampire countercultural, it makes sense to be rocky and edgy. And I don't know if you'd call this a little bit grungy, but I like the sound that this brings to it. This, to my mind, really clarifies what the identity of this musical is going to be. Now, the feedback I've heard from other people about this song which has been released is that they also feel that this is a great genre choice for the show and its tone, but they wish that the lyrics said a little bit more. And I have some clarification on that because apparently what I'm hearing is that this is a diegetic song within the context of the show. That means within the musical, this is actually a song. This is not just a character bursting into song to express their feelings. This is a song being performed even within the context of that plot. Think about like the performances from Jersey Boys as an example, or like Move in Dreamgirls, which is diet energetic versus and I am telling you I'm not going. Which isn't. Which does, I think, offer a little bit of explanation as to why the lyrics are a little bit more repetitive because it's emulating 1980s rock song. It's also what gives me the notion that they're going to keep it sort of rooted to the same time period. And I think the nostalgia of that is a smart thing to play up on. We've seen a lot of other film to stage Adaptations that have dragged it out of its time period setting. The Devil Wears Prada try to do a little bit more of that for its world premiere production in Chicago. A couple of other musicals since, and I think broadly that's pretty often a mistake. But then I haven't seen this film. So I can't really speak to the extent to which vampire youth gang culture needs to be tethered to the late 80s. But you may be wondering, Mickey Jo, why is this song being performed diegetically in the Lost Boys? And that I think not knowing the plot is one of the most substantial changes that has already been indicated. They also spoke about this today at the Comic Con panel is which because they are not just a vampire biker gang anymore, they are now a vampire biker gang who are also a band, which obviously is going to make the transition to the world of musical theater a little bit easier. It gives a little bit more impetus for music on occasion. That isn't to say that every single song in the score is going to be diegetic. I think we can already tell that that is not the case. And it's also, I think an act of rebellion that's a little easier to depict because motorcycles, you know, they've been done on stage. Bat out of Hell went there. That show not only you can not only represent a motorcycle in motion on stage, but you can also have it suddenly fly into the air, explode, and then come back together in the shape of a heart, you know, should you want to. I spoke recently in a review of another show about the changing sound of contemporary musical theatre and the kind of Pasek and Paulification of a lot of contemporary scores. This is not meant to shade towards Pasek and Paul, who I think have done terrific work and deserve their place in the pantheon of musical theatre composers, but that a lot of modern scores are starting to sound a little samey and generic. And so I welcome the arrival of anything that I think is going to sound substantially, which I think this will. I hope that this is a really cool and rocky and edgy score. And I do want to highlight a couple of things that I've been told from someone who was in attendance at the workshop. One of those is that the show includes multiple LGBTQ characters, including a trans character, which is representation that we love to see on stage in 2025 or in 2026. Hopefully it's representation we still love to see in 2026 and that hasn't yet been made illegal. But these are also incidental facets of these characters identities and not Their entire plot arc, which is also satisfying and also a great thing that we like to see. Apparently the story running beneath the vampire plot is one about family. And that's really intrinsic to the DNA of the show. And I think this is what a lot of new musicals are maybe missing because we have a lot of shows coming through and being written and developed which have decent enough narrative narratives and which are about something important. But there isn't a strong enough story beneath the story and enduring message and something, you know, bigger for it to really talk about. And so, you know, it's all very well to do hot young vampires who are also a band now, but it's even better to leave audiences with something more meaningful when they exit the theater. If we know anything at this point, we know that something needs to have really broad appeal. And though these details aren't specific, what I've been really excited about, excited about is the energy that I have been hearing from producers, from investors, multiple different people who, the more they have learned, the more they have seen, the more they have heard, have been getting more and more excited about the Lost Boys. I'm hearing that it is a huge production, that it is wildly expensive, as is almost everything these days, but that this really is going to be something. But I'm also hearing that it is really genuinely wowing people. And these people see a lot of workshops and they go to a lot of presses, presentations. Finally, with that in mind, let us consider a little the potential Broadway success of the Lost Boys. So here is where I'm at with the Lost Boys. I think this really could shape up to be something very special and very impactful. And I think on the one hand, the timing is very good. It is very late in the season. It is not an especially busy season for new movies, musicals, and a lot of the buzziest, most high profile openings are revivals. It is not only the tour stops for Mamma Mia. And Beetlejuice, but more importantly, Ragtime and Chess and the Rocky Horror Show. Don't underestimate that one. Lots of revivals coming through and it feels a little bit more like Lost Boys is letting all of those happen and letting everyone get a little bit fatigued and start to yearn for exciting new musical theater. And then they're going to arrive right at the tail end of, like, things the season and hopefully deliver that. Obviously, it's also super beneficial that there is something of a scarcity of new musicals this season. However, it is also playing on my mind. And warriors has not yet announced any definitive plans for the stage, but that that is in development and that the Outsiders is still on Broadway. And I think warriors and the Outsiders have more proximity to each other than the Lost Boys does to either. But there's a lot of common ground in between. It's a lot of young, mostly male gangs with marketing campaigns playing on nostalgia for films that all came out around a similar time. And so I do think that it's possible for these shows to be a little detrimental towards each other. The Outsiders continues to be very successful on Broadway. It's starting to shift into the box office patterns of more of a long running show rather than the new hot thing. Very possibly by next spring the Lost Boys will hope to be the new hot thing. But it also seems inevitable that the Lost Boys would probably thrive a little bit more in a Broadway landscape that didn't still include the Outsiders. But then you're developing this show. How long are you going to wait? And who's to say that in the time that they wait, warriors isn't going to open up and be another thing that they have to consider? So at some point you just have to leap off the diving board and hope to enter the water gracefully. And when it comes to that particular watery arrival and the opening night for the Lost Boys next April at the tail end of the season, there is still so much uncertainty. We don't know what the season is going to look like between now and then. There could be all sorts of sorts of unexpected openings. And critically though, I am hearing really fantastic, excited things. We don't yet know how this material is going to be received, how well it is going to be reviewed, what kind of awards buzz there is likely to be. Certainly it seems like the Lost Boys may be shaping up to be the front runner among new musicals this season, but that is said based only on a lot of conjecture and vibes. And as I mentioned before, we do have to consider the Broadway vampire musical of it all. But you will remember back at the beginning I spoke about how this was a different kind of a vampire story, that this had been something of a transition in the late 80s towards a different kind of vampire narrative. And that I think will be to its benefit. And I think the Draculas, the Lestats, the Dance of the Vampires of this World, with the latter being a well known and well documented Broadway flop that continues, it's worth pointing out, to be very, very successful in mainland Europe, where I saw it not too long ago. Go wild experience. Very campy, loved it, had a great time. This because it's a little less fantastical, a little more down to earth based on less controversial source material, maybe more relatable, maybe talking about different themes, maybe set at a more approachable age with young hot vampires, rather than a man who is exactly like 650 years old pursuing a woman who we're hoping is of legal age and is explicitly a virgin. Like I think any kind of an ick family actor or the over the top campy elements that all those shows try to wrestle into legitimate gothic horror musicals isn't going to be a concern of the Lost Boys. So while vampire musicals may have been cursed on Broadway, I don't think that really even comes into the conversation here. I don't think they need to be worried about the fate of the dance and the vampires and Lestat and Dracula and the others in the rear view mirror. I think, you know, you have vampires and then you have have vampires. And it's worth saying as well. I think audiences, particularly young audiences, have gotten a little bit spookier recently. The Addams Family was kind of pushing us in this direction, maybe a little ahead of its time. Beetlejuice did a lot of work to win people over to this sort of gothic comedy idea. Death Becomes her is currently thriving in that environment. Tonally. Maybe the Lost Boys is arriving at the perfect time for audiences. Of course, we won't know for sure until it starts performances officially next spring. I hope to bring you much more coverage of it then. In the meantime, time please share all of your thoughts and feelings and insights about the Lost Boys in the comments section down below. That is everything for now that I have to say about this show. But if you want to hear what I have to say about every other Broadway opening between now and then, make sure to subscribe to my theatre themed YouTube channel, turn on those notifications or go follow me on podcast platforms. I hope you enjoyed listening to this and I hope that everyone is staying safe and that you have a Stagey Day. For 10 more seconds. I'm Mickey Jo Theatre. Oh my God. Hey, thanks for watching. Have a stagey day. Subscribe.
A
Acast Powers the world's best podcasts.
B
Here's a show that we recommend. Are you a fantasy reader looking to cure your book hangover? Then welcome, welcome, welcome to the Fantasy Fangirls Podcast. I'm Lexi, older sister and fantasy lore nerd. And I'm Nicole, younger sister and romantic actor at heart. And we love exploring these stories, worlds and characters well beyond the last page. Fantasy Fangirls is not your typical book deep dive podcast. When we say Deep Dive. We mean deep dive where every episode covers a stretch of chapters and is structured with five segments to easily follow along. We are currently deep diving Quicksilver by Callie Hart in the lead up to its highly anticipated sequel Brimstone. We're so excited. We hope you join us as we travel through the Quicksilver to dive deep into literary and character analysis, theories, lore, themes, and so much more.
A
ACAST helps creators launch, grow and monetize their podcasts everywhere. Acast.com.
Podcast: MickeyJoTheatre
Host: MickeyJoTheatre
Date: October 13, 2025
Episode Theme:
An exploration and deep-dive into the upcoming Broadway musical adaptation of The Lost Boys, covering its origins, creative team, cast, early music releases, and its potential to break the Broadway “vampire musical curse.”
Mickey Jo, a professional theatre critic and social media content creator, shares a comprehensive review and speculation on The Lost Boys, a new Broadway musical set to open in 2026. Drawing from both the newly launched marketing campaign and exclusive insights, Mickey Jo unpacks the show’s potential, discusses the source material, artistic choices, and compares it to similar Broadway ventures. He also reflects on how this production may fare in today's competitive and unpredictable Broadway landscape.
On the show’s unique take:
On Broadway’s tricky timing:
On the daring creative approach:
On music style:
On inclusivity:
On the ‘vampire musical curse’:
| Timestamp | Segment | |------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 02:01 | Introduction to The Lost Boys musical & episode agenda | | 08:33 | Analysis of the original film’s themes and cultural relevance | | 14:38 | Discussion of the producers and Broadway’s “need for a shake up” | | 17:50 | Overview of creative team and roles | | 20:24 | Aerial design—hint at onstage flying | | 21:10 | Detailed cast breakdown begins | | 23:00 | Praise for Casey Levy and Paul Alexander Nolan | | 25:12 | Early impressions of the music, diegetic song concept | | 27:55 | Report of LGBTQ representation and family themes | | 28:40 | Workshop feedback and energy from insiders | | 32:00 | Market timing and competition with similar musicals | | 33:16 | Will Lost Boys break the vampire musical curse? |
Mickey Jo’s thoughtful breakdown suggests The Lost Boys could be a breakout Broadway hit, thanks to a blend of nostalgia, innovative staging, bold musical choices, a strong cast, and socially relevant representation. The musical aims to appeal to contemporary audiences while learning from the mistakes of previous vampire-themed flops. As Mickey Jo notes—success will depend on the execution, audience response, and whether it can distinguish itself amid a competitive landscape.
“I think this really could shape up to be something very special and very impactful. And I think on the one hand, the timing is very good...Critically though, I am hearing really fantastic, excited things…” (30:35)
For more updates and future thoughts:
Follow MickeyJoTheatre on YouTube and podcast platforms.
This summary skips all advertisements and non-content sections for clarity. All quotes are attributed to Mickey Jo with timestamps in MM:SS format.