Like many kids, Justin Huertas grew up enjoying all sorts of cartoons, comic books and superheroes. The only problem was, there weren’t a lot of superheroes who looked like him.
“X-Men, Power Rangers, Spider-Man — I loved them all,” says Huertas, a busy Seattle-based playwright, composer and performer. “With X-Men, I think I not only connected with the idea that these people were hated and feared for the thing that made them different, but also that’s what gave them their superpowers. I was just so fascinated by that idea — long before I ever understood any sort of allegorical, thematic connection that it might have to me as a queer person of color. I also loved the fact that Spider-Man and the Power Rangers had these secret identities — that you could be going to Angel Grove High School with the Power Rangers and not have any idea.”
As a theater student at Pacific Lutheran University, however, Huertas began to realize that he wasn’t likely to be cast in such heroic lead roles.
“I knew I wasn’t ever going to be the superhero,” he says. “I was more likely to be cast as the side character — the comic relief, or the supervillain who’s hilarious and a little gay. And I was very comfortable with that. I was like 22 years old and thought, ‘OK, this is who I am. I’ll go out for those roles, and fill out my season with cello gigs.’ ”
An accomplished musician, Huertas did just that — even playing cello with the national tour of Spring Awakening in 2012. By that time, he’d already connected with Seattle Repertory Theatre’s artistic director Jerry Manning. When Manning — who died not long after, in 2014 — commissioned Huertas to write his own show, he seized the opportunity.
“My first show out of school was a play at Seattle Rep, and I got to know Jerry really well. When he learned that I could play cello, he decided I should write myself a show. At that point, I had taken maybe one playwriting class. But he said I could write anything I wanted, so of course, my first thought was to write myself as a superhero. I mean, why not?”
The result was Lizard Boy, a queer coming-of-age musical fable with a cello-driven indie-rock score. The piece — which follows a young recluse named Trevor, whose scaly green skin hides the heart of a true superhero — first premiered at Seattle Rep in 2015, with Huertas in the title role. Lizard Boy would go on to play at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival before enjoying a Drama Desk-nominated off-Broadway run in 2023.
Huertas says the musical has evolved quite a bit over the years, with several new songs and revisions. What hasn’t changed? Lizard Boy’s empowering message of identity and connection.“It’s interesting to look back at it now,” Huertas says. “I was around 25 when we started making this, and I’m 38 now. So when you think about this journey of self-discovery that Trevor goes on — I was in the middle of all that when I was first writing Lizard Boy. It’s nice to feel like I’m able to take all that I’ve learned over the years — that feeling of standing in your own power — and share that with people.”
For Deonté L. Warren, who’s directing the production for Nashville audiences with Street Theatre, that message is just part of the appeal.
The musical premieres June 14 at The Barbershop Theater
“There’s something so unique about this show,” says Warren, who directed Falsettos for the company in 2023, and served as choreographer for last season’s Fun Home. “Musically, lyrically — there’s so much going on, and yet it’s totally unassuming. It’s fun and full of whimsy, but also very honest. When I first listened to the album, I immediately could picture it unfolding in the Barbershop Theater. It just came alive in my head. And once I got my hands on the script, the story felt even deeper somehow. It really jumps off the page.”
Warren is quick to credit the cast — including Eklan Singh, Shane Kopischke and Delaney Amatrudo — for their “fearless approach.”
“Everyone came in so well-prepared,” he says. “I wanted to check in with each of them individually before we got into rehearsals, just to make sure we were all on the same page. And what I found was that the three of them had already been vibing, bonding, tossing out all these great ideas. It really felt like old friends coming together to play. They all brought such amazing energy into the room — it’s been an incredible journey.”
Each actor plays multiple musical instruments throughout the performance — from guitar and ukulele to kazoo and glockenspiel — with cello accompaniment provided by Julie Adams.
“I love the way this cast has embraced all of the musical elements,” Warren says. “And I think we’ve found a really elegant solution to establishing the connection between Trevor and the cellist. The music is such fun, and the story is perfect for anyone who’s into comics and superheroes. But at its core, Lizard Boy is really about identity, acceptance and connection. And to me, those are things that are always worth exploring.”
