Speaking about the production, Arden described the stage adaptation of the cult classic film as an experience that blends comedy, emotion and spectacle.
"It's so many things. It's scary, funny, heartwarming, epic, but it's intimate. It's like the best night you can have at the theater," Arden said.
Arden said the creative team approached the adaptation with longtime fans of the movie in mind, while also building a larger thematic story around the emotions the film inspired.
"We wanted to make sure that the people who loved the film, we held their hands in the process. But the rest is like a big spiritual metaphor," Arden said. "It's like, what did the movie made us feel? It made us feel like we wanted to be young forever, and we wanted to have, like a great time. We wanna laugh, we wanna cry, we wanna scream, and we wanna dance."
Music plays a major role in the show. Arden praised The Rescues, the indie band behind the score, saying he had long been a fan before they became involved with the production.
"The Rescues are an incredible indie band that I have been obsessed with forever," Arden said. "When we were putting this together, we had a long name as pop stars and big bands, and I said we should really listen to this band called The Rescues. And our producers went to go hear them play a show and offered them the job on the spot. They have written a score that I think will be like around for the ages."
The production also features physically demanding performances from the cast, according to Arden.
"Everyone in the company is doing something death defying," he said. "If they're not falling in the air, they're hanging upside down or sliding down slides or jumping into a pit or playing in rock instruments live while upside down."
Arden said the show's action and themes reflect why vampire stories continue to resonate with audiences.
"I think we keep coming back to vampire stories for a reason," he said. "You know what? It it requires us to ask kind of really deep questions about our own lives. How would you choose to live? What would your priorities be? Who would you love? What kind of person would you be?"
For Arden, "The Lost Boys" ultimately centers on a simple message.
"In the case of the 'Lost Boys,' it's about fear and love," he said. "And the only way to fight fear is through love."
The project also serves as a reminder of how far Arden has come from his childhood in Midland, Texas, where Broadway once seemed out of reach.
"Just to be living in New York City, working on Broadway, I think my mind would be blown if you were Hey, this is what you get to do," Arden said. "This thing that seemed like an impossible dream is now my everyday reality, and it's not lost on me how lucky I am to be doing that."
Arden said that sense of gratitude motivates him to create work that has an impact and inspires future generations of artists.
"I used to watch the Tony Awards sitting on my grandparents' floor, and that was my only connection to Broadway," he said. "And to be here now makes me wanna work even harder so that a kid in Midland, Texas who's watching it says, hey, I wanna do that."
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