THE LOST BOYS Previews- Page 6

[WldKingdomHM]

Posted: 4/1/26 at 12:35am

Do we at least get the sexy sax man ?

[noahseestheatre]

Posted: 4/1/26 at 12:41am

Not to mention the huge build-up to the final scene that gets stopped in its tracks by a scene of the mom and Max on a dinner date…

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 4/1/26 at 12:42am

WldKingdomHM said: "Do we at least get the sexy sax man ?"

Oh, yes. 

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 4/1/26 at 12:54am

" is it sweat or oil " ?

Updated On: 4/1/26 at 12:54 AM

[RumTumJM]

Posted: 4/1/26 at 12:59am

Cape Twirl of Doom said: "Just got back from tonight’s performance. I have not read any feedback on the show (or seen the movie.)

First off the show is way longer than it has any right to be. It ended at around 10:57 (and it then took a full ten minutes to get out of that theater from the balcony! Seriously the logjam there is terrible.)

The problem is you really feel that length. We don’t need half the songs to be slow ballads about family. It seriously seemed like every other song was sung by ShoshanaBean, who don’t get me wrong is incredible, but I want more vampires in my vampire musical you know? Every time David and the other vampires were on stage I was captivated and really into it, and then we’d get another long sloooow scene in the kitchen or bedroom. The “Frogs” characters are not funny IMO, they were just annoying. Was it supposed to be funny that the girl called herself brother? Was it like that in the film or did they make the character female but keptthe name and relationship? Just a weird choice.

And the big final confrontation was just… that’s it? So incredibly anticlimactic. Like they spent all the budget on the set and forgot they needed some kind of big effect scene to end it. And the set is amazing. Really impressive and looked great.

The audience tonight was crazily enthusiastic with yelling and cheering, I was feeling like what am I missing here?

It’s not bad,it just could have been better.

ETA: oh yeah that loud noise in act two! I totally jumped at that too, definitely did not sound like that was supposed to happen."

Could someone please elaborate on that gunshot-like sound in Act 2? - Are all of you who were at the show sure it was something that shouldn't have happened? Could it be a new effect that was added to the show?

 

[Kad]

Posted: 4/1/26 at 1:13am

It was clearly not an intended effect given the context of the scene. 

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 4/1/26 at 1:16am

noahseestheatre said: "CoffeeBreak said: "noahseestheatre said: "Also will be baffled if Shoshana doesn’t nab another Tony nom for this. She sings on a roundabout for God’s Sake!"

if only her character hadn'tjust left the Shubert, crossed east through times square and walked into the Palace. Copy + paste."

At least the food she made had steam in this show"

Yes, in HK it was salads and sandwiches. In LB clams (still not sure WHY we need to sing & talk about clams).

 

[TheatreMonkey]

Posted: 4/1/26 at 1:19am

CoffeeBreak said: "noahseestheatre said: "CoffeeBreak said: "noahseestheatre said: "Also will be baffled if Shoshana doesn’t nab another Tony nom for this. She sings on a roundabout for God’s Sake!"

if only her character hadn'tjust left the Shubert, crossed east through times square and walked into the Palace. Copy + paste."

At least the food she made had steam in this show"

Yes, in HK it was salads and sandwiches. In LBclams (still not sure WHY we needto sing & talk about clams).

"

Would hate to hear about your feelings of the Act II opener of Carousel...

Updated On: 4/1/26 at 01:19 AM

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 4/1/26 at 1:26am

Yes, in HK it was salads and sandwiches. In LBclams (still not sure WHY we needto sing & talk about clams).

"Would hate to hear about your feelings of the Act II opener ofCarousel..."

They at least had a real nice clambake. 

[RumTumJM]

Posted: 4/1/26 at 2:36am

Jordan Catalano said: "“Does the musical make any of these characters openly LGBT+?”

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

Yes. One of the gayest characters on Broadway right now.

"

Interesting! What character is it? (A classic character from the movie or one created for the musical?)

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 4/1/26 at 3:02am

he's very queer coded throughout but never "comes out" as gay. (a Rob Lowe stan).  Instead self-designates as  "queer" (as his "superpower" during a weird camp caped-ensemble superhero number that could be cut in half if needing to exist at all (another tonal abnormality)-

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

Sam Emerson, the youngest Brother and eventual member of the "Frog Brothers" (one of which is a girl, who doesn't stutter). 

The book and direction both are both quite uneven.

Updated On: 4/1/26 at 03:02 AM

[Auggie27]

Posted: 4/1/26 at 9:08am

1) Did Levy doge a bul--stake in the heart--staying with Ragtime til spring and then going on parental hiatus? 

2) With this show the same season as the Queen, is this director's skill set being re-evaluated? I think Maybe Happy Ending is one of the most exquisite pieces of musical staging in the last 20 years, utter perfection. No doubt because the show is structurally tight, the craft in the storytelling on the page. Yet I found it hard to believe that so many wrong-headed decisions were made about the Chenoweth vehicle - not just conceptually, but directing 101 concerns like blocking and stage space management to focus story. It just happened all over a pricey, restrictive set waiting for a full reveal. The discussions here point to a staging that veers closer to Arden's last effort, a narrative that loses rather than gains power - and fumbles tone - on a too-expansive canvas. 

Updated On: 4/1/26 at 09:08 AM

[Ensemble1698878795]

Posted: 4/1/26 at 9:22am

Auggie27 said: "1) Did Levy doge a bul--stake in the heart--staying with Ragtime til spring and then going on parental hiatus?

2) With this show the same season as the Queen, isthis director's skill set being re-evaluated? I think Maybe Happy Ending is one of the most exquisite pieces of musical staging in the last 20 years, utter perfection. No doubt because the show is structurally tight,the craft in the storytelling on the page. Yet I found it hard to believe that so many wrong-headed decisions were made about the Chenoweth vehicle - not just conceptually, but directing 101 concerns like blocking and stage space management to focus story. It just happened all over a pricey, restrictive set waiting for a full reveal. The discussions here point to a staging that veers closer to Arden's last effort, a narrative that loses rather than gains power - and fumbles tone - on a too-expansive canvas."

Directors are allowed to fumble. Let’s also look at the material of these shows. Most Broadway directors have one big bit then never reach that level again. Arden has delivered multiple quality productions in recent years. Perhaps it’s a bad season for him. But Parade, OOTI, Maybe Happy Ending. I say let’s not erase it all. 

[Kad]

Posted: 4/1/26 at 9:52am

I don’t know the direction here is necessarily the main issue, aside from the campy flourishes in act two. If anything, I think the material is largely elevated here because it’s not strong enough on its own. I think he’s shown struggle to develop new work, but the onus there cannot solely be on the director. 
 

I had a thought at some point during the show that Arden would be a great director of music videos, because that’s what this production sort of feels like: a  string of music videos. Each number is a self-contained, beautiful moment. But line them up together for almost 3 hours, it doesn’t actually cohere very well. 

Updated On: 4/1/26 at 09:52 AM

[TheatreFan4]

Posted: 4/1/26 at 10:20am

Ensemble1698878795 said: "Directors are allowed to fumble. Let’s also look at the material of these shows. Most Broadway directors have one big bit then never reach that level again. Arden has delivered multiple qualityproductionsin recent years. Perhaps it’s a bad season for him. But Parade, OOTI, Maybe Happy Ending. I saylet’s not erase it all."

What's the common thread here? Revivals or shows with years of development and stagings outside of Broadway before he became attached.

[ClumsyDude15]

Posted: 4/1/26 at 10:22am

I saw the show on Saturday night and despite it needing cuts and trims, overall - I really enjoyed it and was impressed at how good the bones were for a second preview. 

Everyone's performances felt very lived in and there's some really great stuff there. To me the standouts were LJ, Shoshana, Benjamin, and Ali. 

The visual aspect of the show is very impressive - the set is massive, the lightning design is really cool, and the aerial work is really fun. I really loved the way they stage "Belong to Someone" and the first entrance for the Lost Boys. 

As I said - the show needs cuts/trims/etc. Before the show, Michael and Patrick addressed us and told us a similar speech to that of what the first preview got - although we didn't have any stops. They joked our performance was "the out of town try out". 

Like I said, the bones here are good, and with some cuts and trims - I feel like it will get better. 

The "surprise" post curtain scene is really pointless, and definitely should be cut. The Frog Brothers bits definitely need some cuts as they wear out their welcome after awhile. I felt like we spent more time on them than we did with the actual Lost Boys. There's some silly ensemble bits that I thought were fun, but definitely could be cut. 

The audience ate this up with a spoon and there were tons of Lost Boys t-shirts and merch being worn in the crowd. Speaking of merch - if you're planning to buy any, definitely use the QR code and pick it up after the show, the merch [and bar lines] were insanely long both before the show and intermission. 

I wasn't super familiar with the source material and I'm not generally a horror person [although there's really not a whole lot of horror - more thrills] but I personally think there's a hit here if they commit to making cuts and trims. 

I'm already looking forward to coming back later in previews and/or post opening to see how much has changed. 

For stage door folks - it was a zoo, but people were good about helping get Playbills to the front for folks a bit further back. By the time I left, everyone had come out [excluding Shoshana] and Paul Alexander Nolan was seemingly the last one wrapping up. 

Updated On: 4/1/26 at 10:22 AM

[Kad]

Posted: 4/1/26 at 10:27am

And yeah I kind of can’t get over how anticlimactic the final confrontation is:
 

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

We get two impressive stage effects for two of the minor vampires’ deaths- sparks, smoke, sudden disappearance. And then the two primary antagonists are both dispatched with stakes that looked to be shoved through their armpits like somebody being stabbed in a middle school production. The death of David is so lame that I was sure it was a feint- stake under his arm and then a slow descent into the pit. Surely he would fly out for an epic death or something! But no, that was it. I sincerely hope it’s a placeholder for something better. 

 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 4/1/26 at 10:34am

With out of town tryouts having become too expensive for shows to really do anymore, Broadway needs to seriously rethink how they prep a show for an audience. I think they need to (of course after signing NDAs, like Hollywood test screenings do) invite people into workshops and readings throughout the process and then, using the same kind of focus groups those screenings do, evaluate where they’re at from those pairs of fresh eyes.

I actually was part of one of these VERY EARLY on for ALLEGIANCE and they made significant changes in the final product. Not the greatest musical ever but they cared enough about wanting it to be the best it could. 

[dan94]

Posted: 4/1/26 at 11:26am

If shows are not going to have out of town tryouts, they should build a gap week into the schedule in the middle of previews. (Shuffle Along did this.) Expensive, yes. But there are not enough hours in the day to make large scale changes once a show is up and running. 

[WldKingdomHM]

Posted: 4/1/26 at 5:14pm

Seeing the show tonight  wish me luck 

[Kad]

Posted: 4/1/26 at 5:51pm

It is wild to me that producers will spend so much on "development" only to have shows make few meaningful changes, open on Broadway and flop, then blame the audiences, critics, social media, everyone other than themselves and then also complain about rising production costs. 

Updated On: 4/1/26 at 05:51 PM

[ErikJ972]

Posted: 4/1/26 at 6:47pm

Seating question. I'm looking at buying a ticket in the front mezz but they all have limited leg room warnings. Does anyone know how bad it is? I'm 6'2". I think I have sat up there before but it's been a long time. Like Will Rogers Follies.

[quizking101]

Posted: 4/1/26 at 8:05pm

ErikJ972 said: "Seating question. I'm looking at buying a ticket in the front mezz but they all have limited leg room warnings. Does anyone know how bad it is? I'm 6'2". I think I have sat up there before but it's been a long time. Like Will Rogers Follies."

Buy either the chairs at the last row of the balcony or the sides of the orchestra. I was second row orch, but my legs couldn’t deal. 

[quizking101]

Posted: 4/1/26 at 8:06pm

WldKingdomHM said: "Seeing the show tonight wish me luck"

I’m also here tonight. There are a LOT of teenagers/early 20s here and in costume. I have a feeling this already has a cult following and it’s barely in previews.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 4/1/26 at 8:35pm

I take Kad's point here. It was unfairly reductive to lay this at Arden's feet, with most posts cataloging the ways the narrative doesn't hold for an evening, or sustain a cohesive tone. I listened to a podcast interview - the Stephanie J. Block theater content pod - and Arden is enamored with this piece, particularly its score. He promises something so special, uniquely in the world of the show. Music's "success" in musical theater is decidedly subjective (I loved Days of Wine and Roses; some found it unlistenable.) I do find myself wondering what elements in the sound/texture/ melodic shape of the score besotted the director. As everyone has noted, the show has fine vocals and a state of the art sound design for rock. No one has complained about the execution, only the monotony in power ballads in a youth-fueled story. 

Would more workshopping have helped when the fulcrum of the creative team fell in love with the compositions? Maybe not. I do believe that workshops teach everyone involved about the need for variety. The element of surprise. If you've ever sat through them on a folding chair, you find out quickly how a score amplifies and illuminates a tale well enough told. 

Updated On: 4/1/26 at 08:35 PM