Cleveland is getting the first bite. Producers have tapped Playhouse Square to launch the national tour of The Lost Boys musical in spring 2028, sending the Tony-nominated vampire comedy out on the road from Northeast Ohio after its Broadway run. Local subscribers will be the first audiences outside New York to see the touring production before it heads to other cities.
Tour announcement
Producers said the North American tour will officially open at Playhouse Square in spring 2028, with more cities and dates still to come, according to Broadway.com. Cleveland station WKYC also flagged the news for local theatergoers, underscoring just how big this booking is for the city.
Broadway run and Tony attention
The Lost Boys opened on Broadway on April 26, 2026, at the Palace Theatre and currently leads the season with 12 Tony Award nominations, according to the official Tony Awards. The show is up for Best Musical along with multiple design and performance categories, a level of recognition producers say helped push the decision to roll out a national tour.
Why producers pick Cleveland
Cleveland has quietly turned into a favorite launchpad for national tours, thanks to its large subscriber base and technical crews that can handle extended tech rehearsals, according to local reporting. A recent chronicle of Playhouse Square's springboard role highlighted how frequently big Broadway titles now choose the district to fine-tune productions before heading across the country.
Playhouse Square's pitch
Playhouse Square points to its scale, more than 40,000 season-ticket holders, as well as its rehearsal, staging, and backstage capacity as key reasons touring producers keep coming back. In a Playhouse Square press release, the organization also cited state tax incentives and its production infrastructure as factors that help the city "attract the best of Broadway," as per Playhouse Square.
What’s next
Tour organizers have not yet released a city-by-city itinerary or specific Cleveland performance dates. Broadway.com notes that additional cities and dates will be announced later, and local outlets such as WKYC are expected to share ticket information once it is available.
From screen to stage
The musical adaptation sticks to the bones of the 1987 cult film, which follows two teenage brothers who move to a California beach town and discover it is crawling with vampires. The original movie’s principal cast featured Jason Patric, Corey Haim, Corey Feldman, and Kiefer Sutherland, with credits listed on IMDb. For the stage version, the show’s listing on TDF notes a book by David Hornsby and Chris Hoch and music by The Rescues.
