The Lost Boys ★★★★★

Before diving into The Lost Boys, now playing at the Palace Theatre, let’s review all the other 21st century Broadway musicals about vampires.

2002: Dance of the Vampires. Flop.

2004: Dracula, the Musical. Flop.

2006: Lestat. Flop.

Lots of sucking thus far — and not just of blood.

Fortunately, The Lost Boys will not be joining this list of duds, at least not artistically. It’s a thrill ride from start to finish. As for its box-office prospects and longevity, those will reveal themselves in time, but without question this production deserves to be a smash.

Based on Joel Schumacher’s 1987 comedy-horror film about a family of three who move to a small California town overrun by vampires, the stage version’s creative team — book by David Hornsby and Chris Hoch, music and lyrics by The Rescues — has wisely retained the film’s setting and most of the characters. (And yes, for those wondering, the muscular Sax Guy is noticeably present, now embodied by hunky Cameron Loyal.)

Grandpa, alive in the film, is now dead but represented by his ash-filled urn, a change which gives mom Lucy (a spunky Shoshana Bean, belting beautifully) much more agency than her screen counterpart. Her oldest son Michael (LJ Benet, making a fantastic Broadway debut) quickly finds himself falling for local lost girl Sandy (Maria Wirries, marvelous) while getting entangled with the town’s vampire rock band, led by David (Ali Louis Bourzgui, utterly mesmerizing). Sensing danger, younger brother Sam (Benjamin Pajak, thoroughly winning, especially in his Act II number “Superpower”) teams up with Edgar and Alan Frog (Miguel Gil and Jennifer Duka, respectively, and equally charming) to defeat the blood-guzzling evildoers and save the town.

Queen of Versailles aside — even the best in the business slip occasionally, especially when an obnoxious mansion is built on creatively sinking sand — director Michael Arden once again demonstrates why he’s among Broadway’s most sought-after talents. The entire enterprise feels assured from start to finish. Dane Laffrey’s awe-inspiring sets transition seamlessly and often thrillingly, Adam Fisher’s sound design excavates an exciting aural horrorscape, Ryan Park’s late-1980s costumes are delicious fun, and Jen Schriever and Arden’s lighting is top-notch.

In addition, The Lost Boys is a spectacle where the special effects enhance the story rather than try to replace it, as in the now-blessedly shorter Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and Stranger Things: The First Shadow. When you care about characters, watching them fly — or die — has much more impact, thanks in no small part to Gwyneth Larsen and Billy Mulholland’s aerial designs and Markus Maurette’s special effects, which continually ignite the audience’s imagination.

Where there’s blood, there are bound to be a few splatters — and this show no exemption. Some of the interstitial dialogue within the musical numbers isn’t up to snuff, the climactic showdown starts strong but doesn’t escalate the way it should, and the show feels slightly longer than necessary. Lucy also has a big solo that, despite Bean’s powerful performance, sticks out as old-fashion Broadway rather than matching this show’s cooler, more contemporary vibe.

Splats aside, these inconsistencies are easy to overlook given the show’s considerable pizazz on all other fronts, including the excellent score. The Rescues deliver a rock-driven score with genuine bite, including “Now, Forever,” one of the catchiest — and sexiest — love duets heard since “Light My Candle” from Rent thirty years ago. Here’s hoping the lights on The Lost Boys shine brightly in Times Square for a long time to come.