Broadway Access Review -
The Lost Boys

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ID: image of the Lost Boys Playbill in front of the stage with the text "Access Review" on top

 

General Note

This is a review of the accessibility of the theater, of the lighting/sound/scent design of the show, and a list of content warnings as a way to prep folks with various needs before they go see it. 

This is not meant to scare anyone away from seeing the show. Most productions have about the same amount of content warnings and sensory warnings to go along with it, they’re just rarely explicitly written down. 

For some people, knowing these things ahead of time makes it easier to enjoy the show because they know what to expect. And, often, makes those people more likely to see it in the first place. I hope that it’s helpful!

I am also happy to clarify any specifics, just send me a message or an email and I will respond when I can.

Also please note that I make these while seeing a show for the first time, so I may miss some cues or be slightly off as to their placement/cue line!

Theater

Palace Theatre

All comments on the accessibility of lighting are in reference to seats in the direct center of the orchestra

Bathrooms: 

  • divided into the binary but there is a sign that says “please use the restroom that best fits your gender identity or expression” – all are accessible

  • located below the orchestra down a left staircase once you enter the actual theater space as well as on the mezzanine level across from the bar, and on the balcony level in the center

Other theater accessibility:

  • the theater has a step-free entrance and then an elevator or escalator to the “first” floor. The theater is to your left upon exiting the escalator

  • there is an elevator to every level of the theater

  • the theatre offers CC, assistive listening, loop receivers, and AD devices

Click here for more information on the accessibility of this theater.

Light/Sound/Scent

General:

  • I would recommend earplugs for this show. I had one in just for Act II and could hear the dialogue fine either way

  • there is onstage smoke for about two-thirds of the show so I won’t note it. The stage never feels disorientingly hazy, and I don’t think it spills too much into the front orchestra

  • the theater was notably very cold

  • there were two very brief moments of smoking

  • the sensory accessibility is similar to that of Death Becomes Her, Hadestown, and Mexodus

Pre-Show: the theater has a sort of low rumble ambiance thing, I didn’t find it disorienting, just worth noting

Act I:

  • the rumble gets louder when the lights go down - about 20-30 seconds in there’s a loud bang 

  • single flashlight in otherwise dim background for maybe a minute, sometimes on audience

  • loud moment with quick yellow light on the audience after “you’re under arrest”

  • a few on/offs pointed at the audience during Lose Yourself (missed the specific cue, apologies!)

  • Have to Have You - brief red strobe downlighting on “in the deaf of the night”

    • red flash after Star’s “I’m afraid what I would do”

    • ~10 sec of flashy blue/red strobe at the end of the song

  • Murder Capital - brief use of flashlights, followed by slow light wash over the audience and another during the scene change

  • some yellow on/offs pointed at the audience after “let’s go boys” (with the motorcycles) and it gets a bit loud – whole sequence lasts about a minute and ends with a loud crashing noise

  • loud rumble after “maybe I do”

  • gets very loud after David jumps, followed by some white lights stationary on the audience for the rest of the song (maybe 90 sec)

  • after the backflip there are some slow moving lights over the audience

Intermission: the lights and music return and the stage has a slowly expanding pinwheel on it

Act II:

  • rumble starts before the lights go down

  • loud crash noise after the title card goes all the way up

  • briefly very loud (~30 sec) after Wild

  • lights get a little flickery after the fire comes on stage (in a flame way, not in a strobe way) for ~90 sec

  • shortly after the superheroes appear (Superpower) there are brief moving lights on the floor that turn into a single white wash over the audience

    • some moving blue over audience after the “pow” sign appears, does 3 or 4 rotations

  • 60-90 sec of flashlight on audience

  • brief flicker into a loud pyrotechnic after the crossbow

  • slow flicker after “show your face, David”, doesn’t last long

  • slow wash over audience after David goes into the pit

  • loud boom after “attack!” and a handful more during this song

  • big boom and pyrotechnic after “asshole”

  • loud boom into a blackout at the end of bows, followed by another after the title card comes up

Content Advisory

  • death 

  • vampiric behavior (I don’t think there was any blood)

  • mentions and flashback of abusive/alcoholic parent