Shoshana Bean Says Caissie Levy Gave Her a ‘Gift’ by Withdrawing From THE LOST BOYS

The stars truly aligned this season for Shoshana Bean, who won a Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical for her performance in The Lost Boys. 

There was almost a world in which the actress did not play Lucy Emerson in the vampire rock musical. 

Caissie Levy, who received a Tony Award nomination for her performance as Mother in Ragtime, was originally going to play the role after her limited engagement in the Lincoln Center Theater revival — but she withdrew, saying that the process of going into another show was “just not possible” for her family. 

Though Bean was ultimately cast, the Hell’s Kitchen alum has said that she hesitated to play another mother. 

When asked by BroadwayWorld in the press room if she thought about what could’ve been if things turned out differently, she admitted, “I haven’t.”

“I’ve only marveled at ‘what is,’ if that makes sense,” she said. “I’ve only marveled that my dear friend, who’s like a sister, would make a decision that on like a soul level was handing me a gift like this.” 

Bean admitted that when it came to playing Lucy Emerson — a single mother to sons Michael and Sam — “nothing on paper made it seem like this was the next right move.” 

However, she said, “Something in my spirit moved me to say yes. And so I just continue, every step of this way — as every gift has sort of been bestowed upon me. I’ve just marveled at like… I’m so glad I said yes.” 

“I’ve never thought about what if I said no,” she said. “I only have thought, God, thank God I said yes.” 

In an interview with Out, Bean candidly explained, “I didn't want to be a mom again. I just put an album out, and I wanted to tour it and focus on my music, but in digging into the material, and looking at the givens beyond the immediate perception… I’m so glad I said yes.”  

Levy explained in November that she decided to withdraw from The Lost Boys, even though she had been attached to the project before its Broadway bow. 

“I have been fortunate enough to be deeply connected with The Lost Boys, the new musical, since the beginning of its developmental process, and it's been one of the best experiences of my career to help create the role of Lucy alongside these unbelievable artists,” she said at the time. 

“The expectation and the dream all along was to join the company when it opens on Broadway this spring,” she added. “But life has other plans sometimes, and I realize now that my family needs me. Going back into a rehearsal process, an intense tech process, and an intense preview time is just not possible for me and my young kids right now. I know working parents everywhere are faced with decisions like this all the time — and it's heartbreaking, and also a part of life.” 

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