The Lost Boys (musical)

Producers Patrick Wilson, James Carpinello, and Marcus Chait had issues securing the stage rights for The Lost Boys from Warner Bros until the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020: "We had a lot of time to Zoom, a lot of time to meet with masks and talk about how we bring vampires to life."^[3] Director Michael Arden suggested The Rescues as the musical's lyricists and composers, and the musical's producing team reached out to the band at a concert in 2021.^[4] An industry-only presentation of The Lost Boys was held on March 14, 2025.^[5]

The song "Have to Have You" was released as a single on October 14, 2025, along with a video to promote the musical. The recorded demo featured an electric guitar solo from Slash.^[3] The subsequent EP The Santa Carla Sessions was released on Halloween, featuring two additional songs from the musical: "Wild" and "Belong to Someone".^[6]

Broadway previews at the Palace Theatre began March 27, 2026,^[7] and The Lost Boys opened April 26, receiving mixed to positive reviews.^[8]

Act I

The musical opens in the supposedly abandoned Steelworks Factory of Santa Carla in 1987 where a lone Security Guard investigates a report on strange noises, finding a broadcast of then President Ronald Reagan speaking about the need for traditional family values, only to get captured and eaten by a flying figure, David.

Meanwhile, the recently divorced Lucy Emerson and her sons, Michael and Sam, move from Phoenix Arizona to Lucy's childhood home, the California seaside town of Santa Carla for a fresh start ("No More Monsters"). As they unpack their car into Lucy's recently deceased father's house, it becomes clear that there's a rift between the three concerning the topic of the boys father and Lucy's ex-husband resulting in Michael to leave the house after an argument with his brother. Michael explores the boardwalk looking for cheap thrills as a way to escape the responsibilities he's been pushed into following the divorce ("Lose Yourself"), and ends up witnessing the performance of a local rock band called "The Lost Boys" (performing "Have to Have You") with Michael becoming infatuated with one of the band's singers, a young woman named Star.

Down the boardwalk, the movie rental store owner Max offers Lucy a job that she needs to support her boys, momentarily running into the wife of the missing Security Guard who is looking for her husband. At the same time in the nearby comic book store, Sam meets the Frog Brothers, Edgar and Alan, where they warn him about dangers lurking in Santa Carla causing him to run from the shop terrified ("Murder Capital of the World"). Michael meanwhile meets Star and the two hit it off with her offering to pierce his ears prompting him to scrounge for the items Star needs, while David momentarily freezes time to warn Star that she needs to feed ("Hurt a Little"). Faced with Michael's blood after piercing his ear, Star runs off causing David to reveal himself and finishes the piercing before introducing Michael to the other band members: drummer Paul, guitarist Marko, and bassist Dwayne. David offers Michael a guitar lesson as a distraction showing off his hypnotism skills to make Michael hit the correct cords as the band crowds in around him, preparing to eat him ("Time to Kill"). Michael evades harm when Sam, Lucy, Max and one of Max's employees arrive, and Max escorts the Emersons back home. After they leave, the Lost Boys feast on Max's employee revealing their fangs and exposing them as vampires to the audience.

At home, the rift between Michael and Sam get worse concerning their father favoring Sam over Michael. This puts more pressure on Lucy who begins work at Video Max where she hopes she can find happiness in Santa Carla after her failed marriage ("The Good Part"). That evening, Michael and Star admit their mutual attraction ("Now, Forever") and almost kiss before The Lost Boys interrupt, with David challenging Michael into a motorcycle race to Coronado Bluff ("Lost Boy") where Michael almost drives over the edge of the cliff. In anger, Michael hits David across the face challenging him to a fight, which simply amuses David who invites Michael to come to their hangout spot. Despite Star pleading with Michael to go home, he accepts David's invitation to the band's home in the steelworks factory. In the factory, David ends up getting Michael to take off his shirt where a deep bruise is revealed that came from Michael and Sam's father, revealing him to have been abusive, which David manipulates to get Michael closer to him and the others. After David adds his blood to a goblet of wine, Michael accepts the offer to drink and join their "family", Michael initially hesitating before Star tells him to do it ("Take My Heart with You"). The Lost Boys then take Michael to a bridge where they each drop from the railing as a train approaches. Instead of falling, Michael finds himself flying alongside the Lost Boys, finally feeling part of a family ("Belong to Someone").

While Michael assumes the previous night was a strange dream, waking up in bed the next morning with a slight sensitivity to the morning light. While Max takes Lucy on a tour of Santa Carla, the Frog Brothers sneak into the Emerson house at night and offer Sam a comic book called "Kill All Vampires" that supposedly acts as a vampire survival guide. As Sam reads the symptoms of a fledgling vampire, Michael starts exhibiting the strange symptoms including an unquenchable thirst, aversion to running water, and has a hallucination of his abusive father, nearly attacking Sam with a baseball bat as he tries to fight off the vision causing the younger boy to run upstairs and lock his door ("Secret Comes Out"). Michael begins to fly again, loses control, and crashes through Sam's window.

Act II

Sam tells the Frog Brothers about Michael's strange behavior. They confirm he's becoming a vampire and offer to kill Michael, which Sam immediately shuts down ("My Brother Is A..."). Max takes Lucy to the now-abandoned Neverland playground, once a fond part of her youth, and they romp around the old park ("Wild"). Michael confronts the Lost Boys at their concert, and David reassures him they are on this path together ("Belong to Someone" reprise). Watching in horror as the Lost Boys feed on a group of surfers, Michael runs away tormented by a vision of his father ("You Belong to Me"). Star refuses to feed despite her waning strength vowing to never become like the monsters that turned her ("War").

Sam and the Frog Brothers attempt to uncover the head vampire, putting Max through a series of tests during dinner at the Emerson house that result in Max advising Lucy to be more firm with her boys ("Your Mom's Boyfriend Is A..."). Michael and Star resolve to help each other no matter what ("Lose Yourself" reprise). Lucy laments that she can't seem to help her troubled son and blames herself for what happened with her husband and her boys ("Michael"). Motivated by the Frog Brothers and his comic books, Sam realizes how to tap into his inner strength and embrace his identity, openly calling himself queer ("Superpower"). Sam and the Frog Brothers raid the vampire hideout, killing Marko, and escaping with the help of Michael and Star as David, Dwayne, and Paul promise to avenge their brother ("Time to Kill" reprise).

The Emersons and their allies gather courage for the looming conflict as Michael and Sam begin to heal their relationship and move on from their father's abuse ("No More Monsters" reprise). The vampires attack, and the ensuing battle kills Paul, who is melted in the bathroom thanks to a Holy Water trap from the Frogs, Dwayne, who is impaled to the stereo by a crossbow bolt from Sam, and David, who gets into a fight with Michael and is ran onto Star's stake. Lucy and Max come to the house after their date, and Max exposes himself as the head vampire, revealing his scheme to make Lucy the mother of his vampire clan. Lucy's protective instincts ultimately triumph and she stabs Max through the heart with her father's cross ("The Reckoning"). Fortunate to defeat the vampires, the survivors envision a better future together as a new found family is formed ("If We Make it Through the Night").

Sometime later, in the Steelworks Factory, the wife of the Security Guard finds her husband's cap and the bottle of vampire blood and drinks from the chalice.

Atlantic Records released the original Broadway cast recording digitally on 24 July 2026. The album includes the bonus track "Brother", which was cut from the show during previews.^[11]