Review: Little to Marvel at in SpeakEasy Stage's LIZARD BOY

Comic strips and cartoons have long been the basis for stage plays and musicals – from “It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s Superman,” “Annie,” “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” and “Doonesbury” to “Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark” and “The SpongeBob Musical” – and, of course, have also spawned the hugely profitable Marvel Universe and DC Comics film franchises.

There have been fewer original comic book-style shows, however, so it was intriguing when SpeakEasy Stage announced it would be presenting the New England premiere of “Lizard Boy” – playwright, composer, and lyricist Justin Huertas’ coming-of-age rock musical about an unconventional superhero who finds the courage to be proudly himself and along the way saves his hometown from the resurgent dragons of his childhood, as part of the Boston company’s 35th season, through November 22 at the Roberts Studio Theatre in the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA.

After making its world premiere in March 2015 at the Seattle Repertory Theatre, the show was presented in the fall of 2016 at San Diego’s Diversionary Theatre and in a 2021 Silicon Valley mounting, and a one-hour version of the 90-minute single-act musical ran in the U.K., including at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The show had its New York City premiere in June 2023 at off-Broadway’s Theatre Row and went on to receive three Drama Desk nominations. It has since been performed around the U.S. and in Canada and Germany.

But in her SpeakEasy directorial debut, Lyndsay Allyn Cox leaves the promise portended by the show’s successful history unfulfilled, and Huertas’ only-so-interesting plot feeling unfinished. Cox’s well-chosen cast – Peter DiMaggio, Keiji Ishiguri, and Chelsie Nectow, all also making their SpeakEasy debuts – almost saves the day and the production, however, rocking out with abandon on Huertas’ indie-style score. And they do more than sing, they also play every note themselves on cello, guitar, keyboard, and ukulele, under the finely tuned music direction of Violet Wang.

The plot finds Seattle native Trevor, a comic book aficionado, haunted by a life-altering childhood accident in which a Mount St. Helens volcano-created winged dragon was shot down, its blood splattering on Trevor and changing him in emotional and physical ways including giving him a new hue and scales. As a famous amphibian once put it, “It’s not easy being green,” and that leads reptilian Trevor to retreat from the world, except during Monster Fest, an annual cosplay gathering that provides him the rare opportunity to move among other people, free from judgment and stares.

Being around people not only mitigates Trevor’s loneliness but also reminds him of what he’s been missing. Accepting his own adult needs, he downloads a gay app and has his first encounter with the offbeat Cary, portrayed with appealing quirkiness by DiMaggio. Cary is looking only for a quick hookup but soon feels more than just physically in need of Trevor, who Ishiguri imbues with a wonderful blend of insecurity, pluck, and considerable charm.

Their relationship unfolds at Cary’s apartment and at an underground music club where Trevor’s fantasy rocker, Siren (Rectow, channeling female singer/musicians like Suzi Quatro and Chrissie Hynde) is on the bill. The trio develops a  friendship with the gruff Siren first seeming to be an ally.

Qingan Zhang’s scenic design includes Cary’s lived-in apartment and the grunge club with projection-covered walls. Lighting designer Deb Sullivan helps set the right mood throughout. Less effective, however, are Costume Designer Zoë Sundra’s thrift store chic get-ups – especially Siren's which looks as if it is on loan from a road company of “Rock of Ages.”

Ultimately, “Lizard Boy” is a story, sketched along familiar lines and uneven at best, about learning to believe in oneself and finding love. It’s a tale that’s been told many times, in many ways. And while the comic book framing is clever and may have you wanting to attend your local Monster Fest, this production won’t leave you longing for the next chapter in these characters’ lives.