Despite their ubiquity in many realms of pop culture, vampires have historically fared poorly on the musical theater stage. But “The Lost Boys,” which opened at New York’s Palace Theatre on Sunday, seems poised to reverse the fortunes for undead bloodsuckers on Broadway ― thanks, in part, to a chilling performance by Ali Louis Bourzgui.
The New York actor and singer portrays David, a rock musician and the kingpin of a vampire gang in the coastal town of Santa Carla, Calif., circa 1987. When single mom Lucy (played by two-time Tony Award nominee Shoshana Bean) and her two sons, Michael (LJ Benet) and Sam (Benjamin Pajak), relocate there from Arizona, David and his clan vow to sink their teeth into the trio of newcomers.
Bourzgui, 26, had not seen Joel Schumacher’s 1987 film version of “The Lost Boys” when he auditioned for the stage adaptation, which features songs by the Los Angeles-based rock band The Rescues and is directed by Michael Arden, a two-time Tony winner.
Still, he said, “from the get-go, I could tell everyone had a clear vision of what they wanted, and that this was going to be something that was pushing boundaries and trying new things.”
At first, Bourzgui was considered for both Michael and David, but ultimately focused his energy on the latter role. Naturally, he looked to David’s film counterpart, played by Kiefer Sutherland, for inspiration. His characterization transformed to evoke David Bowie, Billy Idol and Scott Weiland of the Stone Temple Pilots, too.
