LJ Benet is having a not-so-typical Broadway debut! Not only is he in a brand-new spectacle of a musical, he is also the show’s leading man, playing opposite vampires nightly in The Lost Boys at the Palace Theatre.
Of this whirlwind journey, one of the most unexpected parts has been “finding out that I had to jump off a bridge,” Benet told Broadway Direct at the opening night of The Lost Boys, a moment that fans of the movie—and now the musical—are very familiar with.
Starring alongside fellow rising stars Ali Louis Bourzgui and Maria Wirries, as well as Broadway favorites Shoshana Bean and Paul Alexander Nolan, Benet leads the company as Michael Emerson, the son of Bean’s Lucy, who is looking for belonging in their new town of Santa Carla and finds it with a local rock band, who he comes to find are thrilling vampires.
Broadway Direct has an exclusive peek inside Benet’s first-ever opening night on Broadway.
What is going through your head as you open The Lost Boys?
I really hope I don’t black out. Honestly, just can’t believe I’m here. That I’m alive and living out one of the wildest dreams imaginable.
Who are the people you would like to thank for being with you on this journey?
My friends. The ones that sat in the mud with me two years ago when it felt like my whole world fell apart. They kept me above ground. They know exactly who they are. My family for taking me in, caring for me, and believing in me when I had no more strength to believe in myself. There was a lot of life I had to live before getting to Lost Boys, and without those friends and my family, it would never have been possible.
What’s a funny moment you’ll always remember from this preview process?
Probably when we got stuck in the air two weeks ago. It was amazing, a full minute of me just running in place till they got us down.
What do you hope audiences will take away from The Lost Boys?
It’s never too late to find hope. It may take you to your limits, but hope is always there. Forgiveness is always there. Family, whether it’s yours or the family you choose, is always there.
If you could meet your younger self for coffee, what would he say about this opening night moment?
First off, I don’t think he’d believe we’re here. He’d probably ask how we got here. I’d tell him we got here by completely letting go of the need to prove ourselves. That you were actually a handyman when you got hired for The Lost Boys, but you were pretty content with that as your career, and you actually had to leave it behind in LA. I’d also tell him we have a truck, but it’s back in LA. Dad uses it, and you pray every night he doesn’t wreck it. And I think he would say he’s proud of me.
What is The Lost Boys on Broadway about?
The Lost Boys is based on the 1987 Warner Bros. Pictures supernatural horror-comedy cult classic film of the same name.
When a mother and her two teenage sons move to town in desperate need of a fresh start, they soon uncover the darker side of this sunny coastal community. While Lucy tries to piece her family’s life back together, Michael keeps pulling away in search of belonging. As he finds connection with a local rock band and its charismatic leader, his younger brother Sam comes face-to-face with a terrifying reality: When night falls, Michael’s new friends are even more dangerous than they first appeared.
Who is in the cast of The Lost Boys on Broadway?
The Lost Boys features Shoshana Bean (Wicked, Waitress, Mr. Saturday Night) in the role of Lucy Emerson alongside LJ Benet as Michael Emerson, Ali Louis Bourzgui as David, Benjamin Pajak as Sam Emerson, Maria Wirries as Star, Paul Alexander Nolan as Max, Jennifer Dukaas Alan Frog, Miguel Gil as Edgar Frog, Brian Flores as Marko, Sean Grandillo as Dwayne, and Dean Maupin as Paul.
Joining the principal cast are Ryan Behan, Grace Capeless, Mateus Leite Cardoso, Ben Crawford, Dominic Dorset, Carissa Gaughran, Ashley Jenkins, Liesie Kelly, Cameron Loyal, Pierre Marais, Mason Olshavsky, Hank Santos, Colin Trudell, DeLaney Westfall and Pierce Wheeler.
Who is on the creative team of The Lost Boys on Broadway?
The new musical The Lost Boys, based on the Warner Bros. Pictures film, story by James Jeremias and Janice Roberta Fischer, features direction by two-time Tony Award winner Michael Arden (Parade, Maybe Happy Ending), a book by David Hornsby (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) & Chris Hoch (A Christmas Carol), music and lyrics by The Rescues (Kyler England, AG, Gabriel Mann), choreography by Lauren Yalango-Grant (Parade) and Christopher Cree Grant (Parade), and music supervision by two-time Tony Award nominee Ethan Popp (Tina, The Tina Turner Musical).
The musical also features scenic design by Tony Award winner Dane Laffrey (Maybe Happy Ending), costume design by Ryan Park, lighting design by Jen Schriever (A Strange Loop) and Michael Arden, sound design by Adam Fisher (Sunset Boulevard), aerial design byGwyneth Larsen (Breaking Surface) and Billy Mulholland (Breaking Surface), hair and wig design by David Brian Brown, production management by Juniper Street Productions, with casting by The Telsey Office Craig Burns, CSA and Kristian Charbonier, CSA, and General Management by Bespoke Theatricals.
Where can I find official tickets for The Lost Boys on Broadway?
Tickets for The Lost Boys on Broadway are now on sale via Broadway Direct, the official ticket provider of the Palace Theatre. Buy tickets directly from us here.
