The Lost Boys Musical: A Summary & Analysis - Part 1
This post will be a complete summary of the musical adaptation of The Lost Boys.
Keep in mind, this particular show I saw was still in the preview stage, meaning changes to the plot, songs, and pacing can change later on. This particular post will be for act 1. I will be sharing my thoughts as I go!
Proceed with caution if you do not want to be spoiled before seeing the show! You have been warned!
First off! The opening!!
It. Was. O U T S T A N D I N G !
We don't get the carousel scene, but instead there's something much more spooky. A thick cloud of fog spreads out over the stage as the audience is cued that it's almost time to begin. The show starts with a scare of all the lights shutting off and along with a loud sound of the power going out. I'll admit, it got me! A hell of a way to kick things off!
We hear some audio of a man talking about family values while a sign that says "1987" flashes briefly. In the darkness, there's a small tv that's showing a pre-recorded video of the TRUE monster of this time period: Ronald Reagan.
A security guard is going through an abandoned factory, waving a flashlight around and demanding to know who's breaking into the property. He follows the sound of the TV, shutting it off and radioing for backup, but he gets no response.
The tv turns back on by itself which aggravates the security guard. As he's distracted, we see silhouettes moving around in the background. Devious laughter can be heard all around. The guard is waving his flashlight around, trying to catch who's there. The TV flashes again as we see David (Ali Louis Bourzgui) go in for the attack. All we hear now are the horrified screams of the cop.
Next up is the introduction of the Emerson Family. This time, we see their start in Arizona, as they're packing up to move to Santa Carla. Already, it's very clear how close they are as a family. Michael (LJ Benet), Sam (Benjamin Pajak) and Lucy (Shoshana Bean) have truly bonded together over getting the fresh start they desperately need. They even have a shared sense of humor, wanting to give Phoenix the "Emerson Family Salute" - AKA double-handed middle fingers. Love it. Perfect. I would die for this family.
Now as was confirmed, Grandpa Emerson is not in this show. He is deceased by the time they move, with Lucy bringing his ashes in a silver urn home. She places it next to a wooden cross that he carved himself. A lot of his lines/references are given to the rest of the family. Lucy explains his insight with the tv guide, says he didn't kill the animals but rather stuffed them (though to her worry, she's not 100% certain of this), all that stuff.
Sam is very obviously played by a theater kid TM, and he's full of energy. Says stuff like "Holy Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Batman!". He's giving it his all and I'm so proud. Michael is so done with his shit, especially when it's revealed that in this version they have to share a room (because, y'know, limited set space). Not only is the Rob Lowe poster mentioned here, but according to Michael, Sam has SEVERAL of them and is insisting he only put up one. Sam defends his tastes, saying Mr. Lowe is the epitome of Masculinity.
In a slight change of events, Michael meets Star (Maria Wirries) when she offers to pierce his ear while he's on the boardwalk. Laddie is not in the show, and it's okay because that gives our lovebirds more focus. Also Star has beef with the punk looking ear piercer, who accuses her of stealing his customers. To which she replies with "Shut up, GENE." Istg he was about to start crying. I love it when women are mean.
She disappears into the crowd of a concert just like in the movie, but this time around, it's our boys who are running the show. The Lost Boys are David on lead vocals, Marko (Brian Flores) on bass, Dwayne (Sean Grandillo) on guitar, and Paul (Dean Maupin) on drums. The background characters we've seen on the boardwalk all crowd around the orchestra pit, making it look like they're the audience for the band's performance. And my GOD, what a show. The boys have immense talent, pulling both their audience and the rest of the theater in under their spell. The pull Star up on stage with them, and she joins in with singing. All the while, Michael has climbed up some scaffolding to watch her more closely. He is SMITTEN.
Lucy and Sam are on their own adventures.
Lucy meets the wife of the security guard who we saw in the beginning, and she explains how she's putting up missing fliers to find him. Max (Paul Alexander Nolan) watches from afar as Lucy comforts the woman and promises to keep an eye out for him. Evidently Max is a MAJOR movie nerd in this version. He's got a special game where he sneaks movie references into conversations. Very much a "yes, and" game.
Also in this version, there is no Maria. Instead, his employee is Pete, a soon-to-be college student who looks and acts like a mini version of Max. He's a total dork who's a stickler for rules. Since he's leaving after the summer, Max offers the job to Lucy, which delights her very much. She even plays along with his game and makes a Little Shop of Horrors reference. He is immediately down bad for this woman, and who could blame him.
Sam is having an existential crisis while trying to navigate Santa Carla's boardwalk. Everyone is very scary and weird to him, and he's literally just a boy. ALSO!! We see the return of oiled up sax man!!!! He's now just a dude on a SKATEBOARD who's jamming out while rolling down the boardwalk. Sam is shook.
Thankfully, he finds the comic book store, and gets to meet the Frog Brothers, Edgar (Miguel Gil) and Alan (Jennifer Duka). In this version, they don't own or work in the store, but rather offer their "security" to it and every other boardwalk store. Evidently they never buy anything. Also!! Alan is confirmed to be transmasc in this version. Respect his pronouns or die. Seriously, he was ready to fight people.
These kids are fucking PUMPED and ready to give Sam the lowdown of Santa Carla. He's fucking terrified and runs off. They wonder if they came on too strong (spoiler alert: they did).
Later that night Michael runs into Star again, eager to compliment her singing and properly introduce himself. He mentions the story of almost being called Moonbeam or Moon Child. He also wants to take on the offer to get his ear pierced. He offers her something in return for the piercing so she doesn't have to do it for free. He goes over to the "test your strength" game to win her a teddy bear.
Enter, David. It's revealed that he has a new power in this version: the ability to stop time. It's a great tool for allowing him to talk to Star without them being listened to by non-vampires. As he watches the two from above, he warns Star that she's running out of time, and that Michael would be perfect for her first kill. He unfreezes time, disappearing into the darkness.
Star is about to back out of her offer, fearful for Michael's wellbeing. But this boy is already so whipped, it's insane. He goes to get ice to numb his ear (orders a "coke on the rocks....hold the coke" at a concession stand. you can order ice by itself, you absolute dork ilysm). They have a duet where she warns him about the danger and the permanent change, slightly hinting that she means something more sinister. Instead, he focuses on doing more trades to get the tools she needs (gives a homeless man the teddy bear in exchange for a lighter, tries on a jacket at a pop-up shop and steals a pin from it when he returns it).
The two of them go under the boardwalk (he asks why they can't do it where they are and she slyly offers to show him where people go to hook up privately. He is immediately on board, of course). She does the piercing and in true Michael Emerson fashion, he starts whimpering like a puppy. She sees the blood, and runs away, not wanting to go into a frenzy and kill him. He thinks she's just scared of the blood.
David is back, and he has his boys with him. He introduces himself and the others to Michael. The boys have a lot more personality shining through, especially with the extra lines they get this time around. They have their "Michael wants to know what's going on" lines, all swarming him like sharks. David notices Michael's bloody piercing and very sweetly offers one of his own to prevent it from closing. Michael is still whimpering and squirming from the pain, and David has his eye on the blood he cleans up with a handkerchief.
Now showing genuine interest in the boy, he offers to teach him some guitar. Marko had been strumming an acoustic guitar when they all showed up, and David asks (cough cough ORDERS cough) him to give Michael the guitar. The two have a VERY intimate lesson, with some not so subtle intimacy going on.
Sam cockblocks their moment, begging Michael to go home. The boys start to pick on him, which Michael defends him from. They leave to go home, and the boys fulfill their bloodthirst again - by attacking Pete after he closes up shop. They don't take too kindly to him and waste no time in feeding on him. The last thing we see is David turning to the audience, a bloody, fanged smile on his face.
The next morning, Lucy is preparing breakfast before her first shift at the video store. The boys are belly-aching about Santa Carla and their situation, which turns into a fight between the brothers because of what was brought up regarding their father. Sam insists he wants to go back to live with him in Phoenix so he doesn't have to stay in Santa Carla, and Michael is furious to hear this because he had no idea how cruel their father truly was. He even accuses Sam of being too "soft", to which Sam says Michael sounds just like him. When Sam runs off after this, Lucy scolds him for being so mean to his brother.
She goes off to work, trying to stay optimistic and focused on moving forward for the sake of her boys. Max comes by later, asking about Pete training her. To his confusion, she says he never showed up. She brushes it off, saying he's just being a teenager and that they were both teens too many years ago. Max offers to give her a proper tour of what Santa Carla is like now in the present. To make her more comfortable, he stresses that it's not a date. She's very happy to spend more time with him.
That night, Michael rides his bike out to the "Welcome to Santa Carla" billboard, finding Star by herself up at the top. She calls him Moonbeam, as a reference to their last conversation. He admits he followed her and wanted to see if she was okay after the issue with the piercing. She instead focuses on the stars in the sky, explaining how despite how beautiful they are, some are already dead in space. Michael bonds with her, giving her the kindness she needs in this special moment. They end their song with a very heart-warming hug.
David and The Lost Boys show up on their own bikes, spotting Michael and Star together. Like in the movie, David offers a ride together, Michael says he can't beat his bike, but David assures him that he just has to keep up. This time around, rather than getting ahead of him, the boys fall back to let Michael keep going. A crash is heard as the scene goes dark, and Michael's bike falls to the ground.
The boys laugh mockingly as Star scolds them. Michael yells at David for almost getting him killed, to which David replies with "we just wanted to see if you could fly". Once again, Michael punches David, demanding a fight. The Lost Boys are ready to attack Michael, saying he doesn't get to just take him on. Michael insists he'll take them all on if he has to. David is intrigued and fascinated by him.
As he carefully watches Michael and reaches out to caress his cheek, he asks "how far are you willing to go, Michael?" to which Michael responds with "all the way, if I have to"
In this version of The Lost Boys, they do not live in a cave. The abandoned warehouse we saw in the beginning is where they call home. As they descend in an elevator shaft, they tell the tale of how all the factory workers inside so long ago suffered a gruesome fate when the 1906 earthquake hit San Francisco. We see candles being lit, showing off a ratty couch, an old chair (RIP David's wheelchair) and some discarded chinese food boxes. The boys love their home, playing around without a care in the world.
While Michael is trying out the joint he's offered, David freezes time once again. Star begs him not to do this to Michael, but his mind has been made up. "Either he drinks, or we eat." Time resumes, and Michael is shocked to find that the joint is no longer in his hand, as David took it during the frozen moment.
We get to see the boys and their personalities more. Dwayne has a tattoo to show the way back to their home, which the boys tease him about getting lost without it. Paul jumps on the furniture, giggling with delight. Marko is at David's beck and call, ready for whenever he's needed. When Michael asks about their parents, they all jokingly play dumb, acting like they don't know what parents are. Star brings up that Michael has a mother and brother, hinting that he has a family who would miss him if he's gone. When asked about his father, Michael is clearly upset by such a subject.
To the horror of the boys, Star and the audience, David lifts up Michael's shirt to reveal a gruesome display of dark, purple bruises on his stomach. He still hasn't healed since their escape from Phoenix. But David is not cruel about it. He's kind to Michael, offering a sense of understanding. He promises he'll never have to feel that pain again, and orders Marko to get the bottle. The boys and Star are very wary of this, but the bottle is still fetched.
Unlike the movie, David doesn't just have him drink directly from it. He opens it up, slits his own wrist, and bleeds into the bottle. Michael is watching him as if he's under a spell. With the desire to be free of his demons and belong to a family who genuinely wants to help him, he drinks from a cup that David pours for him.
In a very touching moment, all the boys each hug Michael. They're warm, kind, and open with their brotherly love. Star didn't want this, but she let it happen because she was scared it was either this, or his death.
Eager to introduce him to his new life, the boys take Michael to the train tracks. They all jump down, encouraging him to follow. Though he's terribly scared, he finds his fears melting when he realizes he's not falling, he's flying. They all are. Fog in the sky clouds around them, and they all float around in it like they're weightless. They sing with Michael, letting him know he belongs as one of them. He has nothing to be scared of, so long as he has them for his family.
To end his first night with them, David flies with him back home, guiding him back into his bed, saying farewell for now.
The next day. The afternoon sun is shining, yet Michael is exhausted. Sam and Lucy scold him, to which he snaps at both of them. He doesn't want to babysit Sam, even though Lucy has her "not-date" with Max. They're dismissive of his attitude, just chalking it up to teenaged angst. To Sam's shock, the Frog Brothers surprise him in his room, checking in on their new friend. They explain how they're looking out for vampires, and ask Sam if he suspects anything unusual. The brothers gift him with the "Vampires Everywhere" comic and make their leave.
When night falls again, the transformation gets deeper and much more sinister. While Sam reads the comic book, Michael starts to have very sudden changes in his senses and behavior. He can smell Sam trying on his cologne from the other side of the house. Running water from the sink burns his hand. His stomach churns in terrible pain as it rejects human food.
But the worst part is the hallucinations, as it brings Michael visions of his father. A memory from when he got his bruises plays back. His father angerly kicks him as he cowers on the ground, furious by the mess he made in the kitchen. Just as Michael said to Sam before, his father calls him "soft" while berating him more. Scared and angry, Michael brandishes a baseball bat, ready to strike his father in self-defense. The hallucination vanishes, and it's Sam who's in front of him. Michael manages to stop himself before Sam is hit, but is now terrified that his father was actually there.
Sam, now just as scared, runs to their room to call the Frogs for help, realizing something is seriously wrong with Michael. The transformation continues, and Michael is flying again. But this time is much different. He doesn't feel light and free like he did before. He feels helpless and out of control, all while the boys sing in his head about the "secret coming out". Michael soars higher and higher, getting closer to the outside of his and Sam's room.
There's a crash of glass. A shriek.
End of Act 1.
Thank you all!! I hope you enjoyed part one of this series! I'll be posting the act 2 summary tomorrow, and then later on I'll give a full list of my thoughts/opinions. Please let me know if you want to be added to the tag list!
Tag List: @justnatoka @whimsical-lies @kirishimasfiance @imamarvelhesadc
“they’re just friends, not EVERYTHING has to be so lesbian ugh” what planet do you live on where everything is lesbian. what is its name. where is it. what is its address. what are the directions. how do i go there
Can't stop thinking about the potential of a au with Pulp Musicals characters in Project Hail Mary.
Rose and Samuel Stratford were kicked out of academia after an argument with famous astronomer John Herschel. They worked selling newspapers and journals, and writing sci-fi, still reading any scientific literature that crossed their desk. Until they were both recruited by Chester Thomas to study astrophage
Samuel ends up taking Grace's role as the primary one studying/teaching about astrophage. Rose becomes the secondary science officer, working alongside John Herschel, of all people.
They definetly have a lot of disagreements with Herschel at the start, but they end up getting along over their shared passion. Rose and Herschel end up having their little enemies to lovers arc.
Benjamin takes the place of Carl. Anna Hanover is the primary engineer, and AJ Griffin is the pilot and captain
It's even more painful when Thomas forces Samuel onto the ship. Because it's not just "You don't have any connections" it's "You had a connection. She was willing to die for this mission. She did die for this mission. Why can't you?"
Once Samuel is in space, he can't figure out why it hurts so much to be called "Dr. Stratford". But it hurts even more once he remembers there ised to be two Dr. Stratfords. And now there's only one.
Of course, once he is in space, he meets an alien that he decides to call Margaret. No idea why he ends up picking this, or why he chooses to call her mate Sia. I'm sure there's some pop culture reference you can make there
If anyone has questions about this au, or my reasoning for putting these characters in these roles, please send me an ask! I'm calling this au Project Hail Musicals
There is another version of this you could do, with Maragret as Grace. Itzal would probably be Stratt in that au. Taavi would probably be one of the original science officers. Which means Ahlaam probably would be too. Or maybe Chazira? Since her death was what set off the issue with Margaret.
Cyrus and Mary Katherine definetly would have been the engineer and pilot.
Idk how Kal would fit into that. Like maybe he fits as Lokken. But honestly he has the "disgraced scientist studying controversial subject matter" and "right hand to the most powerful person in the world" things that would make him a good fit for Grace too. No idea how Dakkar and Sia would fit in here either
I'm deciding that Anna Hanover would be Rocky in this version. Ik having it be one of the Stratfords would make more sense narratively, but Anna is literally an engineer and she's my favorite, so.
I think having the Blazing World be Erid makes more sense. Especially with how many connections Margaret had before she had amnesia
About three months ago, I posted a form trying to get a sense of the makeup of the Pulp Musicals fandom and what episodes/songs/characters and the like were most popular within it. Here are the results, and thank you to all those who participated in it!
Pulp Musicals Fandom Census Results This census was posted to Tumblr and Discord by the runner, snarky-wallflower on both sites. It has a t
if you told me a few years ago, that in the future id be sueing my comfort streamer in minecraft, on their own server, i would not believe you . because honestly i have no clue how i even managed to get to this point
romaincrisis
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kianamaiart
