backstage pass

‘Lizard Boy’ star Justin Huertas on Grindr friends, glitter, & creating more Filipino representation

By · Updated on September 22, 2023
Justin Huertas
Justin Huertas. Photo provided by Justin Huertas

An unconventional queer superhero has slithered Off-Broadway just in time for Pride. Justin Huertas’ Lizard Boy follows Trevor, the survivor of a playground dragon slaying, who now has scales and only feels comfortable going in public once a year during Monster Fest.

Huertas wrote the allegorical musical’s book, music, and lyrics and also stars in the title role. The show premiered at Seattle Repertory Theatre when Huertas was just a teen and gained traction over the years, with productions in California and the world’s largest arts festival, Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Far beyond a one-hit wonder, Huertas has written two commissions for Seattle’s ArtsWest, wrote the music and lyrics for The Mortification of Fovea Munson (based on Mary Winn Heider’s book) for The Kennedy Center, and music for the Marvel podcast Squirrel Girl: The Unbeatable Radio Show! with longtime collaborator Steven Tran.

But for the moment, Huertas is stepping back into a character he created more than eight years ago for one final chapter. What’s next for the Seattle-based multihyphenate?

“The thing is, I am an endless well of crazy ideas that I’ve probably been dreaming about since I was 10 years old,” Huertas said in a recent interview. “I feel like there’s a lot more I want to do.” 

Queerty caught up with Huertas during his New York City gig to find out what queer theater-makers inspire him, the dream role he’d like to play, what can be found at his cluttered dressing room table, and more.

Related:

Queer love survives, scales and all, in Off-Broadway’s ‘Lizard Boy’

Justin Huertas’ new indie-musical about a queer reptile boy in search of love makes its Off-Broadway premiere.

Lizard Boy celebrates what makes us different. I used to hate _________ about myself, but now I feel like it’s my superpower…

Well, I wouldn’t say I used to hate anything about myself, though if there was anything that makes me cringe when I look back at my youth, it’s my emotional literacy (or lack thereof) as a young person, haha! I didn’t have the tools then that I have now, so when something went wrong in my life, I blamed the world; I took it out on everyone around me instead of looking inward. Luckily, all of that trauma has been churned into artistic energy and fed all the musicals I’ve written.

Also, I used to think I had a lot of limits in my career. I left college as an actor genuinely believing that with my face, my voice, and my body I’d only be cast as the plucky comic relief, the quirky best friend, the hilarious sidekick. It took Lizard Boy for me to realize that there are no limits. I can be a freaking superhero if I want!

Justin Huertas in 'Lizard Boy'
Justin Huertas (center) in ‘Lizard Boy.’ Photo by Billy Bustamante

My character breaks out of his solitude by attending Monster Fest (think Comic Con). The most unconventional way I met someone in real life happened when…

It’s so funny Trevor uses Grindr to try and meet a friend to hang out with at Monster Fest, and I used to think that was so uncommon. But dating apps have become a pretty standard way to meet new friends or lovers. So, the unconventional way to meet someone for me has been the moments I randomly met a new friend out at a bar! It’s those in-person interactions that happen spontaneously (without cyber-stalking and checking their Instagram first) that surprise me — especially when they yield genuine friendships!

Lizard Boy played at Edinburgh Festival Fringe before its NYC premiere — the biggest differences between U.K. and U.S. audiences is…

The U.K. audiences are very polite! Which we appreciate, of course. Even if they’re not as loud and raucous, we know they’re leaning in and listening. We still feel the love! That said, it’s been awesome playing to the NYC audience, who are loud and ready to party!

(l-r) Justin Huertas, William A. Williams, and Kiki deLohr in 'Lizard Boy.'
(l-r) Justin Huertas, William A. Williams, and Kiki deLohr in ‘Lizard Boy.’ Photo by Billy Bustamente

Three actors and nearly a dozen instruments… a lot can happen! __________ is an onstage moment I’ll never forget…

We used to have a pretty spectacular scenic gesture on our relatively simple set. We used to detach a portion of the stage platform and roll it downstage, sit on it, and directly address the audience for a scary campfire story. But during a preview, we failed to properly lock the platform up after the campfire story, so later on in the show, when we were playing a quite romantic moment on the platform, it started rolling us down toward the audience! It was hilarious, we held the show to lock the platform. Needless to say, we cut that rolling platform.

Revive _________ so I can star in it!

Revive The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee so I can play Chip Tolentino again! I have so much love for that show and that experience. It’s the most fun. Just cut all the racist jokes, and we’re golden!

When I saw ___________ onstage, I knew I wanted to be an actor…

I saw the national tour of Rent in Seattle when I was in high school, and I think it was then that I learned musical theatre could be cool. Haha! Thinking about it now, I’m pretty sure it was Michael Grief’s direction that I was most enchanted with. The set never changed, but there were so many locations, and the story was so cinematic. I hadn’t seen such swift and modern storytelling before.

Related:

Is the movie version of ‘Rent’ an overlooked classic, or a dumpster fire?

Do we take it or leave it?

The queer theater maker everyone should be paying attention to right now…

Sara Porkalob. One thousand percent. She and I are very close. We’re both Filipino-American creators raised in Seattle. She just made her Broadway debut in 1776, and she’s about to tour two of her Dragon Cycle plays this fall – Dragon Mama at Diversionary Theatre (where Lizard Boy played in 2016) and Dragon Lady at Marin Theatre. I saw an early Seattle production of Dragon Lady, and that was actually my first time seeing a Filipino story — any Filipino story — on stage. Watching her work reminded me that we, as Filipino-American creators, have stories that are not only worthy of the stage but stories that must be shared. I find her endlessly inspiring.

At my dressing table, you’ll find…

My huge water bottle that I bought to stay hydrated when we performed Lizard Boy in Manchester; so much glitter (when you see the show, you’ll see why); notes from members of the Lizard company from opening night; and a huge messy pile of paper – that’s my script. We made quite a few revisions during our tech and preview process, and it became way easier for me instead of neatly incorporating all of my new pages to stare at the new pages and immediately memorize any new lines! The result is a very disorganized stack of papers that I should really get around to organizing.

Justin Huertas backstage during the Seattle production of 'Lizard Boy.'
Justin Huertas backstage during the Seattle production of ‘Lizard Boy.’ Photo by Bronwen Houck Photography

Lizard Boy plays Off-Broadway at Theatre Row through July 1, 2023.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

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