'Lizard Boy' :: Chatting with the Actors/Creators

"Lizard Boy" is best described as a comic book, musical fantasy. Or, as Director Brandon Ivie, one of the four-headed, brain-conjoined, creators said, "It's 'Once' meets 'Spiderman' meets Grindr." Ivie originally staged the show at Seattle Repertory and will return to stage it for The Diversionary.

The team all insist on the show's funky uniqueness. "You've literally never seen anything like it," says Ivie, "...it's very hard to classify." Playwright Justin Huertas describes the show as "A coming-of-age-quirky-romantic-comedy-comicbook- superhero-adventure-folk-rock-concert... With sick vocal harmonies," and Kristen 'Kiki' deLohr Helland is confident that audiences will fall for this unique show: "You will laugh, cry, hum along and gasp. I guarantee you will have a fantastic time."

"Lizard Boy" follows an unlikely hero in Trevor (Huertas), who hasn't left his house in a year after being disfigured in a freak accident as a child (a playground, kids, dragon blood... It was messy). He's too uncomfortable with the way he looks to go out in public. But the night we meet Trevor, weird doesn't begin to describe it. The show illuminates a fantastical, comic book world in which individuality is celebrated to the tunes of kazoos, cellos, guitars and ukuleles.

The show was originally commissioned by late Artistic Director Jerry Manning of the Seattle Repertory Theatre and Diversionary Executive Artistic
Director Matt M. Morrow, has been tracking the show since its world premiere. "There is nothing quite like Lizard Boy. Huertas' singular theatrical voice, heralds an exciting new beginning for the American musical. It is sure to give our audience a wild and raucous ride into our 31st Season."

The underbelly of the show comes from a surprisingly earnest place. Huertas was asked to share his coming out story. "It was a boring story... 'Hey guys, I'm gay.' And that wasn't a news flash for anyone but me. So, when I was asked to write my story, it came out in this comic bookie way. I'm a lizard that is gay and becomes like a superman."

Why a lizard versus some other animal?

Huertas answers, "It was about the lizard skin. He is hindered by the way he looks and has to learn how being different is powerful and unique and how to harness that for good. Whatever freak, whatever weirdo, whatever nerd you are, that's what makes you most special. If you look closer, lizard scales
are beautiful. I grew up looking up to super heroes and, as a Filipino, I had brown skin and all the super heroes were white. I wanted a hero that looked like me, so skin is a very important motif to me."

Huertas is credited with the book and lyrics for "Lizard Boy," but the entire team insist this is a collaborative piece. "We're best friends," says Huertas, "all three of us are on stage the entire show."

"We are either acting, singing, accompanying or being part of a prop," chimes in deLohr Helland, "All we ever want to talk about is 'Lizard Boy,' we all spend way too much time together. Justin and I have a band together, we perform often in Seattle and when Bill is in town he absolutely joins us. The three of us call ourselves The Lizards. Our happiest place is playing music together."

The interview was fun and hectic. In fact, all four (including director Ivie who has been friends with Huertas since high school) were balled up in a synergy they dubbed, "borderline insanity." They had just written 17 new pages and two new songs for the show and disclosed themselves as telepathically connected "rock nerds." Hence a four-headed, brain-conjoined lizard.

It is worth noting that all three of the cast members are super talented, Equity performers and musicians... During the interview, Williams, the quieter one, shared that he learned jazz from his dad at an early age and then went on to get his acting degree. Audiences are certainly in for a wild and heartfelt, musical treat.

"Lizard Boy" runs through Sunday, October 30 on the Diversionary Theatre main stage. For tickets and more information, call the box office at 619.220.0097, or visit them online at diversionary.org/lizardboy

Performances run approximately
90 minutes with no intermission. Recommended for audiences 16 and older.