exhaustedThe show itself, "Lizard" was a show very similar to the style of show that I'm used to seeing at the NoHo Arts Center. I'd previously seen "Dorian" and "Ghost and Mrs. Muir" there and each of the shows were very well produced and professional, yet had a very dark and edgy quality to the productions. NoHo seems to produce shows without "white-washing" it, like some other theatres do - I could just imagine seeing them doing a very dark and edgy version of "Side Show" there...
"Lizard" ended up being a very heartfelt and heartwarming show. The story is about a physically deformed boy (who they call Lizard) in the 1970's who is mistakenly placed into a state institution by the woman who cares for him. He was told his father passed away and never had any knowledge of his mother. At the institution he meets a pair of traveling actors in a troupe, passing through the area on their way to star in a production of the "Tempest". He runs away with them and in the process meets a couple of parentless teenagers who live by themselves in the woods.
The first act (though only an hour and 15 minutes) seemed to really plod along, seemingly with no real sense of purpose - the people he meets, though interesting, never seem to have a connection to the storyline as a whole. The second act, however is MUCH better and not only ties all the storylines together, but also sheds some light on Lizard's whole living situation before being sent to the the institution. The second act is moving, touching and really a beautiful commentary about the need and desire we all have to fit in and be accepted.
The cast was wonderful... James Barbour (who I'd previously seen in "Ghost & Mrs. Muir" at NoHo last summer) was great as Callahan, the gruff, aging actor who takes Lizard under his wing and David Eldon is very touching as Lucius or "Lizard" and really gives a heartbreaking portrayal. The one thing about the NoHo Arts Center is that, due to the size of the theatre, the actors are not mic'd - therefore there is a HUGE disparity in the the sound of their voices. I loved the acting of everyone in the cast, however, some singers were noticably stronger than others. David Eldon probably gives one of the most heartbreaking and endearing performances that I've seen recently, and though his vocals are not as strong as some of the other members of the cast, it seems to work for Lucius' rather subdued and timid nature. All in all, we ended up really liking the show. :)
Today we're planning on hitting the mall and other places we need to go to in the area (I'm looking at possibly picking up a small portable dvd player since I've been using my computer's dvd drive to death on these trips and it's really wearing it out...) and Mark wants to look at some stores Good Guys, etc. that we don't have back home. :) Then tonight we're heading to Arcadia to see Kevin in concert with the Philharmonic orchestra (Woo!) So it should be a good day. :) Hope you're all having a nice weekend! :D *HUGS*
