Playbill carved a much larger presence for itself this year at New York Comic Con, which is a much-needed breath of fresh air. The Venn diagram of people who attend NYCC and people who enjoy theatre is practically a circle.
While productions of Beetlejuice and Death Becomes Her were popular, the largest draw, by far, was the upcoming musical adaption of Joel Schumacher’s immortal 1987 vampire film, The Lost Boys. Co-produced by Patrick Wilson (2005 Phantom of the Opera, you will always be famous) and directed by Tony-winning director Michael Arden, they are both aware of the challenge of bringing vampires to the Broadway stage.
With past attempts like Elton John’s Lestat failing, one wouldn’t begrudge them with scrapping the project before it could begin. However, they have been confident in their version of this world. “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,” Wilson said of him and his producing partners, James Carpinello and Marcus Chait. “And we knew that we wanted this thing to be fun, sexy, and hopefully life-affirming.”
Wilson was joined at NYCC by panel host Zachary Quinto, as well as cast members LJ Benet (Michael), Ali Louis Bourzgui (David), and Maria Wirries (Star). The film itself has an equal focus on both humans and vampires, and Wilson was adamant about making sure that stayed the same for the musical.
“My first instinct was that vampires aren’t the lead of the show,” he said.
Eventually, they were able to gather David Hornsby and Chris Hoch to write the book, and the indie pop-rock trio the Rescues (who are one of Arden’s favorite bands) to write the music. “There’s something really hypnotic and magical about [their music] that felt vampiristic to me,” said Arden of their choice to go with a smaller name.
Vampires and rock ‘n roll–a perfect match
The panel began with Benet performing “Belong to Someone” to the crowd, no small feat for 11 in the morning. Later on in the panel, audiences were shown an exclusive video for the song “Have To Have You,” which features a solo from none other than Guns ‘n Roses’s Slash.
The production is also making sure to do their best to match the retro, campy vibe of the original film. Their ideas are ambitious–including things such as The Lost Boys performing onstage as a band every night, as well as flying while singing–but the team seems eager and dedicated to making it the best version they can.
When speaking on the tone and direction of the story, Arden said, “A lot of other vampire musicals have been focused on the vampire’s plight. This was really focused on the family’s story…and the Lost Boys is this group of vampires that highlights both the joys and sorrows of what it means to be alive.”
2026 seems like the year for glamrock vampires (Lestat, we’re looking at you). The Lost Boys will take over the Palace Theatre on March 27, 2026, and it’s no surprise tickets are going fast.
(featured image: Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for ReedPop)
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