Lizard Boy

Book, Music, and Lyrics by Justin Huertas
Directed by Brandon Ivie 

Ashland, OR at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival June 11 – October 12, 2024

Lizard Boy OSF Masthead. Design by Krzysztof Bednarski.

I am stumped. I don’t see a way to do a normal play review and capture the brilliance, engagement, and rich meaning of the 90 minutes of wonderfulness. 

A traditional look at the show would have to include a synopsis of the story would which would mention that the plot is a comic book superhero narrative about a young man who has lived estranged from the world ever since being drenched in dragon blood when he was in kindergarten.  It’s a rock musical with most lines sung by the three cast members. The featured instrument, played by the superhero, is a cello, and fun fact, the play was commissioned with the restriction that it had to include original music for the cello.

What???

Cary (William A Williams), Trevor (Justin Huertas), and Siren (Kiki deLohr).
OSF photo by Jenny Graham

So we are in a non-linear musical with cartoon highlights. Our superhero Trevor (Justin Huertas) has had green lizard-like skin since his bath in dragon blood, and he comes out of his apartment only once a year on Monsterfest, the night the city has a costume party celebration of the killing of the dragon years ago. That day everyone dresses in green so Trevor doesn’t awkwardly stand out. Trevor is exhausted by his weird looks, is plagued by unhappy visions, and feels permanently alone. He goes on Grindr on the costume party night hoping that someone will talk with lizard-skinned him because they won’t be put off by seeing the green this one night.

Trevor meets Cary (William A Williams). They do relationship/meeting-someone-new sparring in a monumentally wonderful scene. The new duo wind up seeing a nightclub performance by Siren (Kiki deLohr). Siren and Trevor unexpectedly discover they have lots in common. They deal with their history, Trevor and Cary deal more with the complexities of their meeting, and things happen.

But the story is really not about the fallout from a dead dragon. This is a coming of age story that is so off-the-wall that it not threatening to teenagers, young adults, or old adults. It’s actually captivating. As the performance progresses you learn more and more about the character and emotional solidness of “weak” Trevor. 

Cary (William A Williams), Trevor (Justin Huertas), and Siren (Kiki deLohr).
OSF photo by Jenny Graham

I found myself cheering (at least inside) when the revelation hits Trevor that what makes us different makes us powerful. Your weirdness is your superpower.

Throughout the exploration of the story the three characters sing and move with fluid brilliance. The songs are spot on in exploring the emotion/fears/and hopes of each person as they narrate the story. The voices are strong and their instrument handling skills are so good that very few venues offer the show. (These same three actors were in the original show in Seattle March, 2015 and have performed it all over the world – only three other companies have attempted it, according to Wikipedia.)

Almost every scene is important and an acting/musical standout memory. The simple set expands in your mind as the actors dance through it. Costumes, lighting, everything is exact.

The show is fast and deliberate, meaningful and skillfully revealed. If you’re heading to Ashland book seats for Lizard Boy now – it has the highest audience percentage of any show this season (so far).

Lizard Boy sings, flows, and storytells its way to a well earned   rating