The Lost Boys is one of the most unique shows on Broadway, and star Maria Wirries took us behind the scenes — from her path to Broadway and working with co-star LJ Benet, to the showstopping “War.”

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When I first saw it, two specific moments gave me chills. One was LJ Benet's "Belong to Someone," and the other was Maria Wirries' showstopping ballad, "War."

Maria's journey to Broadway began far from New York City, performing at county fairs before discovering theater as a teenager. After studying musical theater at Penn State, she found her way to Broadway and The Lost Boys.

Now starring as Star at The Palace Theatre, she's found a role that has pushed her to explore vulnerability, rage, joy, and her own instincts as a performer. When we hopped on Zoom, Maria shared behind-the-scenes of the show's development, from her first time meeting LJ Benet and hearing "War" to the unpredictability of live theater.

Maria: I've been performing since I was really young, probably about five. I started in my community, performing at county fairs, rodeos, prizefights, and trailer parks — literally anywhere someone would give me a microphone. I would get up and sing, and that turned into a lifelong love of wanting to be a performer.

Theater didn't come into my life until around 12 or 13. I started doing summer camps at a community theater in Florida and, all of a sudden, it became a collaborative experience. Growing up, I didn't really have many friends because I was so hyper-focused on being a performer. All of a sudden I had this community, and it wasn't so lonely. It was this beautiful thing.

I ended up going to school for musical theater at Penn State because I wanted to learn more about acting and dance. My first professional New York job came while I was still in college — the reading of Once on This Island that Michael Arden was directing. It was my first time meeting him. 

I basically said, "I'll literally sit in the room and just watch and say nothing. I just want to be involved in this somehow." But I ended up being a part of the reading and got to know Michael.

Maria: All these years later, I heard about The Lost Boys. I got an audition for it, and I was actually sick when it came time to make my self-tape — but something about the part felt right. Listening to the music written by the incredible Rescues, I heard "War" first and thought, There is no way this song exists in musical theater.

I always wanted there to be more of that sound in musical theater, and it was so exciting to hear it. I was like, "Okay, I have to tape. It doesn't matter that I'm sick. I'm just gonna push through."

Then the ball started rolling, and I kept coming in for auditions. It was surprising every step of the way. Every audition, I'd be thinking, Well, this was great, but then it would be the next thing. It really caught me off guard and was such an amazing gift.

Maria: Star evolved a lot during the rehearsal process and into previews. Since we didn't have an out-of-town, we needed to learn a lot quickly. I've had a really windy path to get where I am right now, and I instantly saw that in Star. She was someone who had to grow up really fast and fight for herself, and I related to her.

I had to find the vulnerability in that. Star and I are people who are tough and put up walls. Working with Michael Arden to find that connection was a really big step.

There's a deep vulnerability that Star has to get to really fast, specifically with Michael. Over three-ish days, they have to fall in love so much that they would literally sacrifice themselves for each other. What's so beautifully written into this script and score is that Star and Michael are seeking to be seen. When someone sees them, even for a second, it takes their breath away.

It was really fun to craft and to come up with what we have now, and it's such a fun ride to be on every night. I came in loving the tough-girl rocker chick, but finding the soft side underneath was the journey.

Maria: It's been such a beautiful process. It takes a lot of trust to do this type of thing every single night. When you're going into it, you always hope you'll be matched with someone you get along with and that everything's comfortable. I literally couldn't ask for a better partner in that.

LJ and I spent a lot of time talking about our lives up to this point, and I actually got to see his final audition. Ali [Louis Bourzgui] and I were both there because we had to do chemistry reads, and LJ had flown in from LA.

I'll never forget watching LJ walk on that stage. He's got this really salt-of-the-earth, "I'm just a dude" kind of personality. We were like, "Okay, who is this guy?" When he sang "Belong to Someone," there was no question that he was this character. 

When we were doing our chemistry read, which was "Hurt a Little," and the scene into "Now Forever," I just remember thinking, This is somebody who is so fun to work with. We developed this amazing friendship.

Maria: It's so funny because I am such a "yes and" person, and LJ is such an "I'm gonna go do it" person. It's a great combination. When we did Broadway In Bryant Park, LJ was like, "I have this idea, and I think I gotta do it." I was like, "You do you, LJ."

When he jumped over the chair, I was just thrilled he stuck the landing. (Laughs) LJ's gonna take a wild long shot, and he's always gonna land on his feet. It gives me a lot of confidence in him. I love to see him play, and it brings out that side of me.

Sometimes I can be a stickler at work. He's so good at being like, "Shake it out," you know what I mean? And he delivers every single time. We've built strong confidence and respect in one another, and that allows us just to throw everything away and play.

Maria: During previews, there was a lot to work out because we didn't have the out-of-town. Near the end of previews, we had a technical hold because they wanted to be sure that the bridge was set. Safety is the highest priority of our entire crew, which I'm so grateful for.

We had to pause in the middle of the big, climactic end of the a cappella section, and I had to come back onstage and sing the reprise of "Hurt a Little." For whatever reason, I just did not have my note, and I was panicking. We all had to come back out and do the a cappella ending. We did it, but I could tell there was just so much stress. Going into that next section, I was thinking, Oh my God, I completely blew it.

In those moments you get stressed out, but then it all comes together. I'm really grateful that we have such supportive audiences. While we were still working things out, people were really there for us and letting those things slide. That's live theater.

Maria: From the moment I heard that song, I felt its power. I had a lot of conversations with AG and Kyler, the women of The Rescues, about how important it was to have this moment of feminine rage that didn't need to be controlled or set inside some sort of digestible experience. That was really exciting for me.

We spoke a lot about being a Black woman and getting to take on that moment. It's so cathartic every night because, as a world and as a nation, we are going through so much turmoil, and it can feel completely hopeless.

This song allows you to be in that space. Star is allowing herself to step into that feeling of, "Actually, no, I'm not cool with what's happening. I'm frustrated. I don't know what to do," and then getting it all out at the end. I think it's really powerful.

A lot of people, specifically women and women of color, talk to me about how important it is to have a song they can sing at home where they can just get it all out. That's what "War" was always meant to be.

Maria: Some days when I sing "War," I feel complete and utter joy, because there's also joy in resistance and rebellion and anger. Sometimes I'm really sad or heartbroken about something that's happening in the world or in my personal life, and that's a moment where I can just let it all out. It's such a gift.

We worked a lot on finding the right balance between Star really letting go and also bringing people into the experience. If you're at a million the whole time, it can be overwhelming. Being able to bring people in, find what connects us all in that moment, and feel it all together was really important.

Overall, Lost Boys is a lot about finding empathy for people, meeting them where they are, and seeing them for real. When we shut people down, it doesn't allow for dialogue, growth, change, healing, or for people to show up better.

Maria: The funny thing about being on Broadway is you start and you're like, "I've never been more exhausted in my entire life. How can I keep this going?" You never stop being exhausted, but you're able to do it. It just seems to be how it works.

I try to get to the gym fairly often throughout the week. Some weeks are better than others, but I really like to keep my body strong. We have so many drops and things to climb up, so you really do have to be stretching, warming up, and making sure that you're ready.

Vocally, what was really fun was getting to build the entire thing together, so we made it as sustainable as possible. It's a matter of knowing yourself, not pushing things too hard, and understanding that over the course of a week, you don't want to blow everything out on Tuesday.

Really, the secret is sleep. It's annoying because there's never enough time in the world for sleep, but I can vocally feel every hour that I don't sleep. If it's going to be a six-hour night, I'm like, "Uh-oh. Oh boy."

I'm really focusing on balancing life and work. We can become so hyper-fixated on work that we aren't nourishing our souls and our bodies. That's been my big thing this year: not going too far in either direction.

This has been a big year for me — a lot of big changes, which is great.

Maria: Star has shown me that I can trust my instincts and trust myself, and that's a massive credit to Michael Arden and our entire team.

You can get in your head while working. Sometimes you forget that you auditioned and you were chosen because you bring something they need. Relying on my life experience and what I could bring to the table gave me a lot of trust in myself.

It gave me an allowance to get out there, really have fun, and relish in it. Star is such a fun role. She's going through a lot, but over the past few months I've found the moments when she can be joyful. She can open up and just be like, "I'm on this motorcycle, and that's really cool!"

I'm looking forward to infusing that into everything.

Catch Maria as Star at The Palace Theatre. 

Keep up with Maria on Instagram, @maria_wirries.

Note: This interview was edited for length and clarity.