3 weeks ago
The flying comes early and thrillingly successful The Lost Boys, nan caller Broadway philharmonic nominated for 12 Tony Awards including Best Musical and, for Michael Arden, Best Direction of a Musical. Not to simplify this show to that 1 element, but nan soaring and air-dancing is surely nan signature ocular of what conscionable mightiness go Broadway’s first deed vampire philharmonic in, well, ever. (Non-musical shape vampires person a amended endurance rate, if only because of 2 Draculas – Bela Lugosi and Frank Langella – backmost successful ’27 and ’77.
Far from shying distant from Broadway’s Vampire Curse, though, The Lost Boys goes for nan jugular fast. The little opening segment features a constabulary serviceman checking retired a reported disturbance astatine a creepy aged abandoned alloy factory. Even if you tin conjecture what’s astir to happen, nan infinitesimal erstwhile nan vampire swoops successful from precocious supra nan shape and makes disconnected pinch nan unfortunate is some creepy and, from a stagecraft perspective, rather lovely. That prologue sets nan reside for what’s coming.
Stage flying is notoriously difficult. Angels successful America playwright Tony Kushner, who knows astir tangling pinch winged theatrical beings, erstwhile cautioned theatre companies mounting his play, “It’s incredibly difficult to make nan flying work. Add a week to tech time.”
In this question and reply pinch Deadline, Arden, a two-time Tony victor astir precocious honored successful 2025 for Best Direction of a Musical pinch Best Musical victor Maybe Happy Ending, talks astir getting his vampires airborne, why it was important and overmuch other astir making a reliable shape adjustment of nan beloved 1987 horror-comedy movie that made stars of Kiefer Sutherland, Jason Patric, Corey Haim and others.
Here, Arden besides speaks astir nan story’s relevance coming – nan musical, among different things, brings retired a queer undercurrent successful 1 plotline that Hollywood successful nan 1980s couldn’t execute – arsenic good arsenic nan disappointment of his other Broadway task this season, The Queen of Versailles. Popular, not popular, Tony nominated aliases Tony snubbed, they are some his theatrical children. Don’t expect him to take a favorite.
The Lost Boys opened April 26 connected Broadway astatine nan Palace Theatre, pinch euphony and lyrics (Tony nominee) by The Rescues, a book (Tony nominee) by David Hornsby and Chris Hoch, choreography (Tony nominee) by Lauren Yalango-Grant and Christopher Cree Grant and euphony supervision (Tony nominee) by Ethan Popp. The philharmonic is produced by James Carpinello, Marcus Chait, and Patrick Wilson, each actors making their Broadway debuts arsenic producers. Scenic creation is by Arden’s predominant collaborator Dane Laffrey (Tony nominee), costume creation by Ryan Park (Tony nominee), lighting creation (Tony nominee) by Arden and Jen Schriever, and sound creation (Tony nominee) by Adam Fisher. The formed features Shoshana Bean (Tony nominee), LJ Benet, Ali Louis Bourzgui (Tony nominee), Benjamin Pajak, Maria Wirries, Paul Alexander Nolan, Jennifer Duka and Miguel Gil.
The charismatic synopsis: “When Lucy and her teenage sons Michael and Sam move to municipality successful hopeless request of a caller start, they soon uncover nan darker broadside of this sunny coastal community. While Lucy tries to portion her family’s life backmost together, Michael keeps pulling distant successful hunt of belonging. As he finds relationship pinch a section stone set and its charismatic leader, his younger relative Sam comes face-to-face pinch a startling reality: When nighttime falls, Michael’s caller friends are moreover much vulnerable than they first appeared.”
This question and reply has been edited and condensed for magnitude and clarity.
DEADLINE: I want to jump correct into this. How difficult was nan flying? Tony Kushner, I think, measurement backmost erstwhile Angels In America opened [in nan early 1990s] said accumulation delays were mostly because of method difficulties pinch nan angel flying. Has nan exertion precocious to wherever you tin person aggregate vampires flying complete nan stage?
MICHAEL ARDEN: I deliberation no, nan exertion is really astir apt nan aforesaid that Tony was battling pinch connected Angels. We conscionable really allowed ourselves a batch of clip to do it. We first designed a benignant of an absurd wherever our flying rig would be, wherever nan tracks would go, and really they would interact pinch nan set. And past we built a mock up type of that successful a storage astatine nan Foy office successful Vegas. Probably a twelvemonth ago, we went to Vegas and started choreographing nan sequences, and past we refined them successful nan machine system, and past built our full alert rig successful actual, nonstop standard up astatine SUNY Purchase this fall. We had our formed travel up, and we worked connected nan flying there, and built nan sequences benignant of exactly, and past we gave ourselves different week successful nan [Palace] theatre earlier tech started.
So it really took a agelong time. One, group flying done abstraction takes a batch of training for nan bodies. Then there’s really those group interact pinch nan scenery and pinch each other, and making judge it’s safe. And past Three, conscionable nan creator portion of it, really we wanted it to go. And past nan last portion was lighting it, which is incredibly analyzable and clip consuming. So we worked much connected nan flying than thing because it really took a agelong time. But we knew it would. We really built that into our improvement process truthful that we could extremity up pinch what we person connected shape correct now.
DEADLINE: Are location immoderate group who conscionable tin fly, for illustration having a talent aforesaid arsenic having a talent for dance? It must return a definite magnitude of athleticism, a definite expertise to dance.
ARDEN: It was portion of our audition process, actually. We worked pinch an unthinkable institution called 5th Wall Studio that’s based successful Brooklyn. They do a batch of flying, and had worked pinch our choreographers before, and they person a workplace wherever they tin put group successful harnesses and thatch them nan basics of really to clasp your assemblage and really to rotation erstwhile you’re facing nan incorrect direction. How to make it look for illustration you’re not conscionable a sack of potatoes being pulled astir connected a string. And truthful that was portion of nan audition process. Everyone who would request to fly, we sent to Brooklyn. Just for illustration we would do creation auditions, we had flying auditions. One, we had to make judge group weren’t acrophobic of heights. We had asked them successful nan auditions, but we had to make sure. And past Two was, How did they clasp themselves successful air? Did they person nan coordination needed? How overmuch activity was it going to be? Luckily, everybody that we wanted for nan parts passed pinch flying colors. No pun intended.
So they began training retired location successful Brooklyn. How to clasp your assemblage successful nan air, really to maneuver successful space. How do you get your arms done wires without looking for illustration you’re trying to get your arms done wires? How to move yourself successful midair. What happens if you spell nan incorrect way? How do you people correct that? And really do you get successful and retired of nan harnesses quickly without nan assemblage seeing?
DEADLINE: How do you not get sick to your stomach? Vertigo would beryllium my major concern, I think.
ARDEN: I deliberation repetition is portion of it. I deliberation astir apt erstwhile they first started, it was a small queasy. But now they cognize what to do, and they emotion it.
DEADLINE: Walk maine done really Lost Boys came to you, aliases really you went to Lost Boys.
ARDEN: I was contacted by my agent, and he said these 3 producers, each of whom I knew from their activity arsenic actors [James Carpinello, Marcus Chait, and Patrick Wilson], were going to beryllium producing for nan first time, and wanted to make a philharmonic type of The Lost Boys. This was summertime of 2021 and I had ne'er seen nan film, truthful I of people watched it, and thought, well, this is simply a crazy idea. How will you do this? There’s motorcycles and there’s flying and there’s each this worldly that seems very hard. And you know, vampire musicals don’t ever work. But I deliberation I for illustration nan younker and nan sexiness of it, and nan truth that it was an escapade drama but besides a scary point and a coming-of-age story. I thought location mightiness beryllium an opportunity to make thing that could really speak to galore different people. And that’s thing I ever look for successful nan activity that I want to approach. I wanted to scope arsenic galore group arsenic possible, not conscionable a prime group.
And truthful we started moving connected it, and that’s erstwhile I suggested that this set that I was obsessed with, The Rescue, is correct to people it. Luckily nan producers heard their euphony and loved them and went pinch it. And present we are, 5 years later.
DEADLINE: You mentioned nan Vampire Curse. So not only was location nan flying to woody pinch but location was besides this thought that Broadway audiences don’t look to for illustration vampires.
ARDEN: I benignant of had to do a little, you know, technological research, like, Okay, why haven’t vampire musicals worked? I was really successful nan first reference of Lestat backmost successful nan day, 1 of my first jobs successful New York, truthful I had a small first manus experience. And Chris Hoch, 1 of our book writers, was successful Dracula, which I had seen. What struck maine was that each of those shows were either for illustration pinch dancing vampires and leaning wholly into nan campy silliness of it, or, pinch Lestat The Musical and Dracula The Musical, leaning wholly into nan seriousness of it. So I felt like, Okay, if we tin do thing that is some superior but besides acknowledges nan silliness of nan truth that we’re doing a vampire musical, that mightiness beryllium nan saccharine spot. In our show, we do that. We person vampires who are incredibly superior and singing astir incredibly superior themes. But past we besides have, like, vampires dressed up for illustration Count Chocula, you know, for illustration we were capable to laughter astatine ourselves and admit nan silliness, which I deliberation really helps nan seriousness and vice versa.
DEADLINE: In position of typical effects, successful position of lighting, successful position of conscionable really nan scary genre tin beryllium presented connected shape now, each of that seems to make it much convincing arsenic a genre. I’m reasoning of Stranger Things: The First Shadow and Harry Potter: The Cursed Child.
ARDEN: It’s funny that successful nan past 2 years, I’ve started to tackle subject fabrication [Maybe Happy Ending], documentary [The Queen of Versailles] and scary [The Lost Boys] connected Broadway, which is ne'er thing I thought I would beryllium doing successful nan philharmonic sphere. I deliberation much group want theatre to beryllium an arena successful a measurement that benignant of lends itself to getting nan humor flowing. They want to beryllium capable to time off their couches and spot stories that they bask watching connected stage. It’s not for illustration we’re reinventing nan instrumentality here, surely pinch immoderate exertion successful this show. We’re relying connected benignant of basal aged theatrical techniques. There’s nary video successful The Lost Boys. It’s each incredibly practical. Look astatine thing for illustration Phantom of nan Opera – we’ve been doing this for a agelong time. It’s just, I deliberation nan devices person sharpened a small bit, and I’m hoping that conscionable intends we’re bringing much group into nan theatre that mightiness not person visited otherwise. Hopefully that makes them want to spell spot different Broadway show that mightiness beryllium thing that isn’t horror.
DEADLINE: Does nan assemblage openness to this benignant of point play into getting investors? It’s a reliable market, and astir large musicals aren’t making their money back. How do you spell to group pinch money and say, I want to do a philharmonic astir robots falling successful emotion aliases I want to do a vampire musical?
[Editor’s Note: Rise Creative, nan producing institution of Arden and predominant collaborator/scenic designer Dane Laffrey raised millions of dollars for the reportedly $25 cardinal The Lost Boys, pinch nan company’s ngo to nutrient “dynamic storytelling pinch an accent connected creation and innovative technologies.” Arden and Laffrey are nan only creatives successful nan Broadway manufacture who direct, design, and produce, pinch 3 Tony Awards to date.]
ARDEN: I deliberation anyone investing successful theatre has to admit that it’s an incredibly precocious consequence venture, and truthful they person to beryllium consenting to judge that, and recognize that yet you person to beryllium okay pinch acknowledging that your money mightiness not travel backmost to you, but that successful that pursuit you’ve perchance created thing that is incredibly meaningful to thousands of group moreover if it doesn’t tally very long.
I think, successful a way, theatre producing 9 times retired of 10 is charity. But also, I think, it’s group who want to beryllium portion of thing that hasn’t been done before, and that becomes moreover a higher risk, but ultimately, hopefully, higher reward. You look astatine a show for illustration Maybe Happy Ending that connected insubstantial sounds perfectly insane. You know, why would anyone want to springiness their difficult earned money to that? But oftentimes nan things that sound astir preposterous connected nan page go nan champion musicals. Look astatine Hamilton. I mean, there’s not a agelong statement of group that would want to propulsion money astatine that, but now it’s go 1 of nan astir successful pieces of creation successful history. It’s yet astir trusting successful artists that person imagination and nan teams they put together, and does nan worldly speak to you? And do you judge that if it speaks to you, it mightiness speak to different group on nan way?
So it’s a existent tightrope locomotion and a spot of a leap of religion to make theatre correct now. That’s why we spot truthful galore TV shows that are turning into philharmonic aliases plays. They’re conscionable saying things like, Okay, well, we cognize this works, truthful let’s effort to create aliases recreate that connected stage.
DEADLINE: But movie and TV shape adaptations are difficult to accomplish, and I deliberation it’s adjacent to say, astir don’t activity either commercially aliases artistically. So really do you cognize what mightiness work?
ARDEN: Certainly successful nan lawsuit of The Lost Boys, which is really my first movie adaptation, aliases return Queen of Versailles which was loosely based connected a documentary but besides not, it’s yet that I request to make thing for audiences who whitethorn not person seen nan movie. I don’t want to make an acquisition wherever personification comes successful and is like, oh, I didn’t spot nan movie, I don’t cognize what’s going on. So that’s for illustration nan first norm – this has to beryllium for everyone, including personification who doesn’t cognize nan communicative astatine all.
But nan 2nd point I want to do is support nan tone of nan film. With Lost Boys, I wanted to person nan sexiness, nan affectional palette, nan adventure, nan angst, you know, nan vibe of it. So I’m uncovering nan moments wherever we tin really grant nan top parts of nan film. What are those shelter rod moments? In Lost Boys [movie], it was nan motorcycle race, nan falling disconnected nan bridge, nan dancing astatine nan concert, nan things that group really latch connected to. Now I’m ne'er gonna beryllium capable to recreate those, but I want to springiness audiences that aforesaid emotion they felt erstwhile they for illustration watched nan movie successful those moments. None of those things that we pulled from nan movie really look for illustration they did connected screen, but hopefully they emotionally lucifer them. There’s a bigger affectional request erstwhile you travel to nan theatre than erstwhile you spell spot a film. We travel to nan theatre truthful that we tin stock abstraction pinch strangers and stock successful thing that really changes our chemistry, our make-up, truthful erstwhile we time off we’re really different group because we’ve shared oxygen and chemic particles and vibrations pinch different group successful that space. There’s a work [on creators] to make it a spot much epic emotionally for people, which is what we tried to do successful Lost Boys by bringing retired nan quality and family story. We’re benignant of giving group a spot of a situation connected their measurement retired to see nan families you build and really you mightiness clasp connected to them a small much tightly.
DEADLINE: Two things that struck maine successful nan philharmonic that were elaborated connected aliases shifted a spot from nan movie were nan inclusion of nan stone set and, secondly nan queer facet pinch nan characteristic of Sam [played by Benjamin Pajak], which is only hinted successful nan movie possibly pinch nan Rob Lowe poster successful Sam’s bedroom. People connected theatre blogs are saying Sam’s large song, “Superpower,” sounds very overmuch for illustration your 2025 Tony acceptance speech. Was location immoderate connection?
ARDEN: Oh, that’s interesting. There isn’t a connection. That was a opus that The Rescues wrote. I retrieve proceeding it for nan first time. I was conscionable truthful moved by it. But I deliberation that is simply a sentiment that a batch of young group request to hear, to beryllium reminded that nan point that sets you isolated could very good beryllium your top strength, your superpower. I conscionable emotion that, and it truthful happens to autumn successful statement pinch my worldview.
With Sam’s queerness, successful my mind, it’s not a communicative astir a kid realizing he’s gay, but much of a reclamation of nan connection queer. In nan opening scene, Sam’s mom says, Oh, group astir present are a small queer, but that’s okay, you’re a small queer too. And Sam benignant of bristles astatine that, because he doesn’t want to beryllium different. And past by nan end, he benignant of realizes that’s nan point that will prevention nan day…I wanted that communicative to activity connected a mates levels. One, strictly adhering to nan crippled and what that meant to this character, for illustration yet accepting his weirdness and really being proud of it and not ashamed of it. And number two, for audiences successful 2026 proceeding nan connection queer and what that intends to them and that mightiness for illustration empower and beryllium meaningful to a young person, aliases an aged person, needing to perceive that. It conscionable felt for illustration an opportunity to empower people.
As for nan band, I was like, okay, successful nan movie they’re a biker gang, but we can’t do a bunch of motorcycles riding astir stage. That’s going to beryllium hard. So what is nan metaphor? Why is this a musical? And you cognize what? Of people it’s ‘Oh, man, nan vampires should beryllium a band.’ Music should beryllium really they lure group in. When they singing “My Heart With You” successful this beautiful a cappella series successful nan show, that is their spell, that is what makes them sexy to people. So early connected I came up pinch nan thought that, yeah, if this is simply a philharmonic they should perfectly beryllium a stone band. What’s sexier than that?
DEADLINE: You mentioned Versailles earlier. Just this season, you’ve had 1 show, Lost Boys, we tin safely opportunity seems to beryllium a deed and one, Queen of Versailles, that was not. When you look backmost connected this year, will you emotion some of your children equally?
ARDEN: When I deliberation of Versailles, I’m truthful proud of that show and nan activity that each section did connected it, from a creation perspective, from what I deliberation it was trying to articulate and interrogate astir America, and successful narration to French history. I deliberation nan actors were incredible. I do consciousness for illustration it should person been recognized [in nan Tony nominations], but I’m good alert that, ultimately, nan Tony Awards are a commercialized for Broadway, and that show isn’t running. It’s like, you’re not going to advertise a merchandise that is now nary longer connected nan shelf. So arsenic overmuch arsenic we want it to each beryllium astir honoring nan work, it is simply a calling paper for commerce and to get group to travel and spot and support nan product. So I’m not amazed that it wasn’t nominated. It was a New York Times critics pick, and a batch of group travel up to maine and say, I emotion that show, it meant truthful overmuch to me. It was a shame that it didn’t get much of a changeable than it did, but I’m still really, really proud of it, and proud of each nan artists who worked connected that show who person now been recognized for their activity connected The Lost Boys. Our choreographers. Our subordinate costume designer connected Versailles – Ryan Park – became nan costume designer on The Lost Boys and received his first Tony nomination. Dane’s activity [on scenic design]. So it’s surely bittersweet, but I deliberation we each are really proud, surely successful retrospect, of nan work, but wish immoderate of nan different artists had been recognized. So yes, you emotion each your kids. They each radiance successful different ways.
DEADLINE: Let’s talk astir immoderate of nan things you person coming up. Happy Feet, and nan Huck Finn sequel West.
ARDEN: West is loosely inspired by nan [2017] caller Huck Out West by Robert Coover. It’s for illustration a sequel to Huckleberry Finn which takes place, aliases it will successful our version, successful and astir nan Lakota wars pinch nan United States successful nan precocious 1800s. Huck becomes progressive and meets a Lakota Warrior, who benignant of takes complete nan narrative. It’s a look astatine American history from respective different vantage points, and interrogates really history is often told by nan victor but existent history needs to beryllium told from each constituent of view. So I’m really, really excited by that, and moving pinch Native writers connected this project. Half nan formed is Native American, and we’re doing a large reference successful relation pinch Center Theatre Group astatine nan extremity of this month. This has been thing that I’ve been processing and producing for nan past mates years, and I’m really excited by it.
And past Happy Feet. I’m presently successful a puppet and costume shop for that correct now, truthful I’m going to beryllium heading location aft I speak to you. I’m moving pinch nan unthinkable Basil Twist and Susan Hilferty and Dane Laffrey, connected processing characters and moving connected puppetry and really that each integrates into nan crystal world of Antarctica. It’s really nosy to move betwixt each these worlds, like, Okay, I’ve been successful this benignant of black, scary void for months [with Lost Boys] and now I get to beryllium successful a white, crystal world. It’s bully to person a existent palette cleanser. So we’re going to beryllium doing that successful summertime ’27.
West will astir apt beryllium a fewer years from now. These things return forever. Hopefully we’ll beryllium doing it retired of municipality first successful nan adjacent twelvemonth aliases so. It’s a large undertaking, a complex, big, immense story.
