Review: LIZARD BOY at Portland Center Stage

If you had told me I would cry my eyes out at a musical about a young man with green, scaly skin who only leaves his apartment once a year to go on a Grindr date, I would have given you the side eye. But there I was on opening night of LIZARD BOY at Portland Center Stage, completely undone by this incredibly weird, incredibly wonderful indie rock musical.

Written by Justin Huertas, LIZARD BOY is, on its surface, a show about actual dragons. But it's also about something far more personal: the parts of ourselves that we consider dragony. The parts we're afraid to show anyone because we're convinced they make us unloveable. And it asks, with enormous heart and a real musical ferocity, whether those parts might actually be our superpowers.

I won't go too deep into the plot, because I'm genuinely afraid I might lose you. So, you'll have to trust me. I can tell you that the show is very funny, the music is fantastic, and everything is perfectly calibrated to touch the furthest reaches of your heart. It's the most emotionally resonant thing I've seen at PCS in a long time, and I loved every minute of it.

In large part, this is due to the incredible performances. LIZARD BOY is a three-person musical in which the actors also play the instruments. Milo Marami plays Trevor, the Lizard Boy himself, with a sweetness and vulnerability that hooks you immediately. You'll root for him from the very first scene, while at the same time completely understanding why he hides away and quietly sabotages his own chances at connection. It's a tricky balance to strike, and Marami lands it beautifully.

Benjamin Tissell plays Cary, the unsuspecting Tinder date who just wants to walk through a sculpture park and get a hamburger, and instead finds himself pulled into something much larger and stranger. Tissell is one of my favorite local performers because of his ability to make me genuinely care for the characters he plays. He is as good here as in anything I've seen him do, which is saying quite a lot.

And then there is Lo Steele as Siren, the mysterious singer who haunts Trevor's dreams and happens to be performing the night of MonsterFest. Steele is a flat-out powerhouse. Her solo, "A Terrible Ride," is genuinely transporting — one of those rare theatrical moments where the room shifts and you're somewhere else entirely.

This is a small show that could be performed by three people in a garage. But director Chip Miller and the design team have made it big and dazzling. From Alex Meyer’s tinsel-draped set to Dominique Fawn Hill’s costumes, to Dante Lawrence’s comic-book-inspired projections, the production has a visual language that feels completely its own. 

LIZARD BOY is the kind of show that sneaks up on you. You think you're settling in for something quirky and offbeat, and you are, but it's also genuinely moving, and by the end of it you may find yourself thinking about the parts of yourself you've kept hidden, and wondering whether it's finally time to let them out. 

LIZARD BOY runs through March 29. Don't miss it. Details and tickets here.

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