Belong.

The Lost Boys

May 3, 2026 at the Palace Theatre

*** 有雷慎入 ***

是2026年的新音樂劇。我其實進劇場前沒有先做好功課，只知道跟吸血鬼有關。仔細想想，之前看過的音樂劇雖然有奇幻題材，像是《Wicked》的女巫, 《Beetlejuice》的鬼魂，吸血鬼的角色還真的是第一次看。

這個音樂劇是導演Michael Arden的新作品。他執導的三個作品《Once on This Island》、《Parade》、還有《Maybe Happy Ending》，我都很喜歡！所以也很好奇這個新作品他又會創造出什麼樣的魔法。那三部音樂劇都有沉浸式的表演方式，就是在秀正式開始之前，觀眾還在陸續就坐的時候，演員就已經會出現在舞台上做跟故事有關的表演。所以我本來以為這部劇也會有這個設計。結果人生果然充滿了意外，這部劇等大家都坐好才開始。不得不說我有點小失望，但我也想不出如果有沉浸式表演，演員要演什麼才不會太突兀🤣。

經過有做功課的隔壁觀眾分享才知道原來這個音樂劇是根據1987年的同名電影改編成的。我還沒看電影，不知道故事情節有沒有改。但從電影預告來看(電影感覺也很好看！)，經典橋段應該有被保留下來。音樂劇的故事說的是一個爸媽剛離婚的家庭，媽媽帶著兩個兄弟從亞利桑那州的鳳凰城搬到加州的一個虛構城市Santa Carla。乍看是個有著海邊步道和樂園的歡樂小鎮，卻有不少人莫名失蹤。而失蹤的原因當然就是因為吸血鬼肚子餓。哥哥Michael好死不死，對吸血鬼樂團裡的吸血鬼見習生Star一見鍾情。原來Star還沒有吸過任何人的血所以還沒有真正成為吸血鬼。Michael本來是樂團頭頭David幫Star選的第一份大餐。結果幸好Star也對Michael很有好感，不忍心殺死他。只是經過一場飛車比賽之後，Michael已經來到了吸血鬼大本營。既然Star不把Michael吸乾，David也不能直接放Michael走，David就想把Michael招進吸血鬼樂團的這個家庭裡。就這樣，喝了加了David的血的紅酒之後，Michael變成了吸血鬼見習生，也覺得找到了自己的新歸宿。Belong to Someone 就是在這個時候的呼喊。喊出了這個故事的核心：對歸屬感的渴望。唱到 to surrender control 的時候，我也瞬間百感交集。有時候真的只想好好躺平🙃。

除了哥哥Michael的故事線，弟弟Sam和媽媽Lucy也各自在這個新小鎮找尋歸屬感。Sam在漫畫店認識了奇妙的吸血鬼獵人兄弟。他們是本劇的喜劇擔當，有點兩光，但還是在對付吸血鬼的時候幫了大忙。媽媽Lucy則是在影視店找到工作後，在老闆身上找到了歸屬感。媽媽唱的Wild 是這部劇的另一個亮點，也一定是很多父母的心聲：曾經想改變世界，但被世界改變的自己，骨子裡依然想要再次狂放不羈。儘管母子三人有了新的生活圈，有了自己選擇的新家人，原本的家庭依然在彼此心上。最後還是同心協力一起把Michael從吸血鬼見習生的狀態救了回來。

這部劇還有很多其他精彩的細節，筆拙的我大概也沒辦法有條理地說清楚。看戲有趣的地方就是很多故事的鋪陳看似微小，但在某一刻跟其他事情連起來的時候，會有種豁然開朗的感覺，讓人有更深一層的體會。只能說這部劇拿到十二項東尼獎提名，包含最佳音樂劇，真的是名不虛傳！飾演樂團頭頭的Ali Louis Bourzgui也拿到了最佳男配角的提名。神奇的魔性嗓音聽了會上癮。最佳佈景和燈光的提名也是毫無懸念。跨越好幾層樓的吊鋼絲橋段，讓吸血鬼倒吊睡覺，還得加上驚悚的感覺，好多地方都讓人體會了百老匯魔法。有機會就去看看給自己一點歸屬感吧！

Belong to Someone

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqgNrtj7a0I

[Michael]

I don't know who I'm supposed to be 我不知道我該是什麼樣的人

It's like I'm always fighting gravity 我好像總是在對抗地心引力

I hear something calling 我聽到什麼在呼喚

But I feel myself falling down, down, down 但我覺得我自己在不停墜落、墜落、墜落

I, I want to belong to someone 我， 我想要屬於誰

Someone who can take my heart home 一個誰來把我的心帶回家

A home where I don't always feel alone 一個家讓我不會總是感到孤單

I wanna belong to someone 我想要屬於誰

Someone who is always near me 一個誰能總是在我身邊

Someone who really hears me 一個誰能真的聽見我

Someone who can save me from me 一個誰來把我從我自己手裡救出來

I wanna belong to someone 我想要屬於誰

To be part of something real 想要屬於某部份的真實

To be half of a whole 想要成為一個圓的一半

To be truly connected 想要有真正的連結

To surrender control 想要好好放縱

Oh, I need a family that's gonna stand up for me 喔，我需要一個能為我挺身而出的家

'Cause for so long I've been lost and looking for the light 因為我已經迷路了很久，一直找不到出口

[Michael & Ensemble]

Is there someone out there 有人在那邊

Waiting to be found? 等著被找到嗎？

Come and reach out for me 來伸出援手

I'm tired of wandering around 我厭倦了漫無目的地遊走

I've been searching for something more 我一直在尋找更多的什麼

Something worth living for 什麼值得活著的意義

I wanna belong to someone 我想要屬於誰

[Michael & Ensemble]

(Come on bring me back, bring me back to life) (來讓我，讓我真正活著)

Someone make me feel like that 誰來讓我覺得屬於

(Come on bring me back, bring me back to life) (來讓我，讓我真正活著)

Give me what I never had 給我我從來沒有的

(Come on bring me back, bring me back to life) (來讓我，讓我真正活著)

Be the place where I belong 成為我屬於的應許之地

I wanna belong to someone 我想要屬於誰

[Michael]

I want a love 我想要一種愛

That can slow down time 可以讓時間慢下來

That lasts forever 可以永遠存在

That never dies 可以永不消失

[Michael & Ensemble]

(I want a love) (我想要一種愛)

I want to belong to someone 我想要屬於誰

(That can slow down time) (可以讓時間慢下來)

Someone who can take my heart home 一個誰來把我的心帶回家

(That lasts forever) (可以永遠存在)

A home where I don't always feel alone 一個家讓我不會總是感到孤單

(That never dies) (可以永不消失)

I wanna belong to someone 我想要屬於誰

[Michael & Ensemble]

Someone who is always near me 一個誰能總是在我身邊

Someone who really hears me 一個誰能真的聽見我

Someone who can save me from me 一個誰來把我從我自己手裡救出來

I wanna belong to someone 我想要屬於誰

*** Spoiler Alert ***

A new musical in 2026. I did not really do homework before entering the theater, only knowing that it was about vampires. Come to think of it, I had seen musicals that have fantasy elements, like witches in Wicked and ghosts in Beetlejuice, but this would be my first time seeing vampires in a musical.

This musical is a new work by director Michael Arden. I really liked his previous 3 musicals, Once on This Island, Parade, and Maybe Happy Ending, so I was so very curious about what kind of magic he would be creating in this new show! Those 3 musicals all had immersive performance pre-show, where actors would already be doing something related to the story while the audience is still trying to find their seats. I was hoping that this show would have the same practice, but life is full of surprises. This show starts when everyone is in their seats. I would have to say I was a little disappointed, but I can't really imagine what activities would be appropriate for an immersive performance 🤣.

Thanks to my neighbor audience who did some homework, I learned that the musical is based on a 1987 movie of the same name. I haven't seen the movie, so I don't know if the plot is changed in any ways. From the looks of the trailer (seems to be a great movie!), it looks like the iconic parts are preserved in the musical. The story in the musical is about a family that just went through a divorce for the parents, and mom takes two kid brothers and moves from Phoenix in Arizona to a fictional town Santa Carla in California. At first glance, it seems to be a chill place with a boardwalk and a sea-side amusement park, but mysteriously many people have been reported missing. The culprit is of course the hungry/thirsty vampires. The big brother Michael unfortunately has a crush on a half-vampire named Star. Star has not had her first kill so she is not a real vampire yet. Michael is originally supposed to be the first meal that the vampire band leader has in mind for Star. The good thing is that Star also likes Michael and doesn't want to kill him. However, after David cunningly baited Michael into a race of motorbikes, Michael is already at the vampire base. Even if Star does not feed on Michael, David would never just let Michael walk away. David then plans to recruit Michael to join their vampire band. After drinking the wine that contains David's blood, Michael becomes a semi-vampire, too, and feels that he has found a new home. Belong to Someone is an outcry at that moment, shouting out the heart of the story: longing to belong. When the song came to "to surrender control", I was overwhelmed with feelings. Wouldn't it be nice to just close the eyes sometimes and tang ping 🙃.

Aside from Michael's storyline, the younger brother Sam and mom Lucy also start their journey of belonging in this new town. At a comic book shop, Sam runs into a quirky pair of brothers who are self-proclaimed vampire hunters. They are the comedic elements of the show, maybe not always good at spotting vampires, but at least they are very dedicated to eliminating them. Lucy found her sense of belonging in her new boss at the video store. She sang her heart out in the song Wild, which I am sure also speaks for many parents: Wanted to change the world, but changed by the world instead; yet, still longing to be wild again at the core. Even though the mother and sons trio have their new circles, new chosen family, they still keep their family of origin in mind and finally worked together to bring Michael back to life from the state of a half-vampire.

There are many other great details in the show that I can't find a good, organized way to describe. I always feel that part of the fun about seeing a show is that the tiny details that are seemingly trivial could click at some point and bring the story to another level. This musical is full of details like that. It is not surprising that the show has been nominated for 12 Tony awards, including Best Musical. Ali Louis Bourzgui, who plays the vampire band leader, has been nominated for Best Supporting Actor. His magnetic voice is quite addictive. The Best Scenic Design and Lighting Design nominations are also well-deserved. The wirework spanning a few floors, vampires sleeping while hanging upside down, and the essential spooky feeling. There are many places that brought Broadway magic to life. Go see the show and get yourself some sense of belonging there!