Plot
In a brief prologue, Officer James Vasquez is investigating a disturbance at the old Coronado steelworks factory in Santa Carla, California. He hears mysterious noises and laughter before he is suddenly attacked and swept up into the air by something. Act I In Phoenix, Lucy Emerson and her two sons, Michael and Sam, make the move to Lucy's old hometown of Santa Carla in order to begin a new chapter in their lives. While Sam hopes to start a new chapter with his first year of high school, Lucy and Michael hope to start a new life away from Lucy's ex-husband. ("No More Monsters"). Upon arriving at Lucy's late father's cabin, Sam already begins to lament the lack of modern appliances, while Michael already yearns for freedom. He rides to the boardwalk on his motorcycle and is briefly flirted with by a mysterious girl before he's swept up into watching a performance by the local rock band, The Lost Boys. He recognizes the girl as their backup vocalist and is attracted to her, and she to him in turn - but she strangely laments how Michael has no idea about the truth of who she is. The concert finishes strongly as the girl, Star, tosses her scarf to Michael ("Lose Yourself/Have to Have You"). When Lucy takes sympathy on Vasquez's widow, her kindness is noticed by Max, who offers her a job at his video rental store as his current employee, Pete, is preparing to start college. Meanwhile, Sam is drawn to a local comic book shop and meets the eccentric Frog Brothers, Edgar and Alan. They attempt to warn him about the dangers lurking in Santa Carla, but he runs off, overwhelmed by their intense behavior ("Murder Capital of the World"). After the concert, Michael searches for Star to try and return her scarf, but he's distracted by a kiosk offering an ear piercing. Star approaches and offers to do it for free, but asks him to hold off until the following night. The leader of the Lost Boys, David, suddenly appears, freezing time - he warns Star that her time is running out and that she needs to feed before resuming time again, leaving her alone with Michael. Already desperate to get to know Star, Michael scrounges the boardwalk for the items she needs before they go under the boardwalk for the piercing ("Hurt a Little"). Star's unable to finish due to the smell and sight of Michael's blood and runs off. David finishes the piercing and introduces Michael to the other members of his band - Paul (the drummer), Marko (the guitarist), and Dwayne (the bassist). David offers Michael a guitar lesson, and he guides Michael through a few chords as he sings a song, trying to distract him so they can feed on his blood ("Time to Kill"). They are stopped by the interruption of Sam, along with Lucy, Max, and Pete. The Lost Boys leave at Max's request, and Max escorts the Emersons back home. However, as Pete is closing up the video store, he is harassed by the Lost Boys before they violently bite Pete. The next morning, Michael discusses his new joy in Santa Carla while Sam is already desperate to return to Phoenix. The two briefly get into a fight over their memories of their father, and Sam angrily retorts that Michael looks just like their father before storming off. At her new job at Video Max, Lucy secretly hopes that Santa Carla can help them recover from their difficult life in Phoenix with her ex-husband and finally be able to live happily, while Max offers to give her a tour of Santa Carla ("The Good Part"). ==Cast and characters==
Musical numbers
;Act I • "No More Monsters" - Lucy, Michael, Sam, Ensemble • "Lose Yourself" - Michael, Ensemble • "Have to Have You" - David, Marko, Dwayne, Paul, Star, Michael, Ensemble • "Murder Capital of the World" - Alan, Edgar, Ensemble • "Hurt a Little" - Star, Michael • "Time to Kill" - David, Marko, Dwayne, Paul, Ensemble • "The Good Part" - Lucy, Ensemble • "Now, Forever" - Star, Michael • "Lost Boy" - David, Michael, Marko, Dwayne, Paul, Ensemble • "My Heart With You" - David, Star, Marko, Dwayne, Paul, Ensemble • "Belong to Someone" - Michael, David, Marko, Dwayne, Paul, Ensemble • "Secret Comes Out" - David, Star, Michael, Marko, Dwayne, Paul, Ensemble ;Act II • "My Brother Is A..." - Sam, Alan, Edgar, Ensemble • "Wild" - Lucy, Max, Ensemble • "Belong To Someone" (reprise) - David, Marko, Dwayne, Paul, Michael • "You Belong to Me" - Father, David, Marko, Dwayne, Paul, Ensemble • "War" - Star, Ensemble • "Mom's Boyfriend Is A..." - Alan, Edgar, Sam, Ensemble • "Lose Yourself" (reprise) - Lucy, Michael, Star • "Michael" - Lucy • "Superpower" - Sam, Ensemble • "No More Monsters" (reprise) - Sam, Alan, Edgar, Michael, Star, Ensemble • "The Reckoning" - David, Michael, Star, Max, Lucy, Ensemble • "If We Make It Through the Night" - Full Company ==Awards and nominations==