One of the most iconic vampire movies of the ’80s, and of the most iconic ’80s movies, period, is Joel Schumacher’s The Lost Boys. The perfect blend of horror, comedy, and hair product, the film also had a killer soundtrack, emblematic of the MTV era. So it makes sense that forty years later, it would find new life as a musical on Broadway. The stage adaptation comes from two-time Tony-winning director Michael Arden (Maybe Happy Ending) and the equally Tony-winning set designer Dane Laffrey (Parade), who have been working together since their college days. Nerdist got the chance to chat with both creatives on the eve of The Lost Boys‘ big Broadway premiere.
NERDIST: Michael, you have an incredible resume for directing theater, and you just recently won a Tony. You probably could have done anything as your next project. So, given the infamous track record of vampire musicals in the past thirty years or so, what made you say, “I’m gonna be the one to do it right!”
MICHAEL ARDEN: I think it was just about the tone of the thing. It’s got something for everybody. I mean, it never takes itself too seriously. It has gothic themes, but it also has high comedy. And ultimately, it’s about a family and young people searching for belonging more so than about vampirism. So I thought that could be something that really sang. We’ll see if we can escape the curse!
What’s your relationship with the original 1987 Joel Schumacher movie? And was there a particular scene that stood out to you in the film that made you say, “I see this as a musical?” Or was it the whole thing?
DANE LAFFREY: Fascinatingly, neither of us had seen it when we were approached about it, and we had missed it. It was just not a film that either of us had seen. So, I think we confronted it first, not as “Oh, we’ve known and loved this for years and years.” It was more about, well, “What could this be? Does this have the inherent ingredients that could lend itself to successfully existing in this form?”
Because I think what’s important with any of the conversations about the movie-to-musical pipeline is not just can we successfully present a version of this film, but can we actually elevate this material? Can the musicalization of it become greater than the sum of its parts somehow? Because otherwise, I think just go watch the movie. It’s a great and beloved film, and I think we wanted to investigate how it could be elevated, made to feel timeless and relevant. And the film is 40 years old at this point. But it felt like it had all of the potential. It was ripe with potential for all the reasons Michael just said.
Every Broadway show has a breakout song. So, in both your opinions, which one do you see as being that for Lost Boys?
ARDEN: Oh my gosh. I think there are so many. I mean, we’re talking about my favorite band’s music, so that’s a hard one for me. But I would say “Belong to Someone” is an incredible tune that I think will be around for a really long time. I think “Superpower” is an incredible anthem. I think “Wild” is an amazing song. And I think “If We Make It Through the Night” is an amazing song, and “Now Forever” is classic musical theater. I don’t know. Those are a few of my faves, but it’s hard. Yeah, it’s an embarrassment of riches. It’s been really interesting in this process to be confronted with so much good music as we’ve streamlined the show, making it tighter, better, and shorter. And it’s been interesting because there were no stinkers, just good stuff, which is a significant problem to have.
The original The Lost Boys is both horror and comedy. How did you strike that balance for a totally different avenue of telling this particular story?
ARDEN: I think it’s just about walking that tightrope. You have to play both very honestly. Great humor is played with incredible seriousness, you know what I mean? As horror has to have the same musicality as comedy in some ways. So it’s always making sure that one doesn’t outweigh the other, so that it’s like a good rollercoaster is only good when you do the drop, because you do the climb. So it feels a little like a rollercoaster ride. When do we need to surprise? Horror is about surprise, but so is comedy. So in many ways, they abide by the same rules.
You have a former Elphaba in Shoshana Bean as family matriarch Lucy Emerson. What did having her pedigree in the cast bring to this production for you?
ARDEN: Well, Shoshana has been a friend for a really long time, and somebody who I’ve also just adored on stage and in concert. And to have her be a part of this as the matriarch of this family is just a real treat for me. Having known her when we were at the age to play the ingenues, and now to see her take on this role, and to lead a company with such grace, and to command the stage as she does. There’s no better match of voice and music. It’s really exciting. And I’m really excited for people to see her be funny, and also do incredibly complex, dramatic work. And then also sing as nobody else can. World-class.
The titular Lost Boys and the Santa Carla kids are largely unknowns. Was it important for you to have fresh faces in these roles? Or did it just work out that way while casting these parts?
ARDEN: For me, I thought with this, the show wanted to be the star, but also, this was hopefully a show that could make stars. And so really the only thing that we were looking for was the best, most talented people for the role. That was our guiding principle throughout casting. And we took a long time to cast the show, and I think we found the perfect group of people. They’re not only incredibly talented, but also wonderful human beings and generous. Hopefully, there’ll be household names soon. It’s like I hope people are going to leave discovering the actor, but remembering the character because of what they’re doing, which is the greatest compliment I can give them.
The Santa Carla Boardwalk is almost a character in the film. How did you translate that within the limitations of a stage production?
LAFFREY: I mean, I think it’s an enormous challenge for sure. Not only because, as you say, but it’s super iconic, and it’s sweeping and huge. But also because the production is not solely set there. It is a mode that the space needs to be able to take on. And I think what we’ve had to do is to just handle it with the greatest degree of specificity that we could. So the sort of fewest number of details communicating the most information, and the most visual bang for the buck spatially. So we conjure the boardwalk in the same way we do any of the other things. With elements that redefine a larger container.
The biggest change that I can gather for your version is that the Lost Boys are a rock band and not a biker gang. Was that one of the first ideas you had when translating the film to the stage?
ARDEN: Well, they’re both. They’re both a rock group and a biker gang. Yeah, actually, it was one of our first ideas. I mean, it’s like what’s a way in a musical for vampires to cast their spell? And it seemed like obviously singing, which they sing both in choral ways, but they are also a rock band. And so we have these musicians, actors, singers, stuntmen, and flyers who play these parts. We just thought that that could be an extension of the musical metaphor, that we could use music as a storytelling, a diegetic storytelling device in this. And I think it’s pretty fun. I mean, who doesn’t want the Lost Boys to be their favorite band? What’s hotter than a rockstar?
When it came to designing the show, how did you keep it looking authentically ‘80s, as opposed to an ’80s-themed, Spirit Halloween party?”
ARDEN: I think it’s the same with the tone of both the horror and the comedy. It’s about honesty without fetishism. Yeah. It’s not like fetishizing the ’80s or making fun of the ’80s. It’s showing its most authentic and sexy version.
LAFFREY: And a lot of the work is about a layering of periods that we find ourselves in 1987, but that boardwalk was built at the turn of the century and has been added to. But there’s some extraordinary research from the 30s and 40s of what that place looked like, and then what it looked like when the film was shot, and also what it looks like now and how that has happened. And that’s been something we’ve been very interested in. And there’s not a lot that we’re doing in terms of the environment that feels like on the head 80s.
I read that the Sam Emerson character is perhaps queer in this version. Obviously, in the movie, he has that sexy Rob Lowe poster in his room. So you didn’t pull that out of thin air. Was that the genesis of Sam possibly being gay in your version?
ARDEN: I wouldn’t necessarily say that Sam Emerson is queer. He examines what the word “queer” means in the show, and looks at how that word has been used throughout the decades. And so he has a line in “Superpower,” which will be a spoiler: “Mom smiles, but doesn’t get me/Michael can’t protect me/but maybe I can be a hero here/make it cool to be queer.” Because his mom says, “Well, everybody here is a little bit queer, aren’t they?” And he picks that up in terms of being able to put things together, and his idiosyncrasies are actually what saves the day. And so it’s kind of a celebration of queerness that hopefully resonates with a modern audience on a different level than it would to somebody in 1987. And who knows? Sam might have grown up to be queer, but that’s not really what our show is about.
Speaking of queer themes, in the movie, there’s definite sexual tension between Michael and David. It almost feels like the character of Star is just there to “No Homo” the vibes. How did you give Star more agency and characterization for the stage version?
ARDEN: We wanted to make sure we knew where she was coming from and what her dilemma was, trapped between two worlds. Also, giving voice to women of that time, and anyone now, who has felt trapped. She has a song called “War” where she dissects that. And we wanted to give her an integral part in saving the day because — spoiler alert — the women save the day as much as the men. And that was really important to us, especially when half our writing team is female. Also, Alan Frog, one of the Frog Brothers, is played by an incredible actor named Jennifer Duka, who wants to join the army and uses her last name, Alan. So we wanted to open up the idea of brotherhood as not just specifically for boys, but about a shared interest in a common direction.
What’s been your most unexpected joy in bringing The Lost Boys to life on stage in this way?
ARDEN: For me, it’s been seeing eight-year-olds and 80-year-olds attend, and both be delighted. And I love asking people, “Oh, do you have a favorite character?” And they’re all different. I think the fact that it’s such a diverse audience and they’re all having a blast together is exactly what I hoped to make, and that everyone has someone to identify with. That’s why we go to the theater. So we can see ourselves, and that so many different people can come, so that families can come see this, so that you can be obsessed with the movie and have vampire teeth installed, and come and love it. And you can also be a mom who just wants a fun time out with your kids. Because the more people we can get to come to the theater, I think the more we can hopefully create empathy in the world.
Finally, to whichever one of you dares to answer: does the iconic sexy, shirtless, oiled-up saxophone guy get a nod in the stage production?
LAFFREY: More than a nod! [laughs]
AREDEN: Get ready. There was certainly baby oil in the budget.
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The Lost Boys musical is now playing at the Palace Theater on Broadway. You can purchase tickets at the show’s official website.