Based on the book by Daniel Pinkwater;  Adapted by Christina Calvit

Music and Lyrics by Douglas Wood; Additional lyrics by Christina Calvit;

Originally produced at Lifeline Theatre (Chicago); Originally directed by Meryl Friedman

(MUST LISTEN: #4 Lizard Spangled Banner; #6 Connected; #8 In the House of Memories)

This was my first mainstage production at Lifeline Theatre. In preparation for my meeting with the production team, I thought it might be a good idea to, for instance, read the book by Daniel Pinkwater. It’s a trippy tale about a young boy whose parents go away for a few days, he learns about the scary city from a guy named the Chicken Man and they encounter these weird, singing lizards that love to watch television. In my first meeting with Meryl Friedman, the director, I remember she said she wanted the lizards to sing in a style of music that no one’s ever heard before. A pretty tall order, since even Stephen Sondheim writes in a style people have heard before. If I had gone too avant-garde with, say a twelve minute symphony of fingers snapping, who’d want to listen? And the minute you add a saxophone or a harpsichord or banjo or whatever, you’ve locked them into a certain time and place. But I agreed with her point, they’re lizards and need another aural vocabulary.

Fortunately, in the book, the lizards love American television. They celebrate it. So we decided to use acapella vocals (mostly). And when they were singing songs that might have been indigenous to their lizard culture (yes we had conversations like that), they would be weird harmonies with body percussion and a crazy lizard language that Meryl dreamed up. And when they were imitating the stuff they heard on television, they sang jingles, the Star Spangled Banner and other fun stuff. Since the whole show was set in the 1970′s we had a treasure trove of material to work with. Did I mention Walter Cronkite was a hero of theirs?

James Sie played the boy (although in his late twenties, he made it work, trust me.) The Chicken Man was played by Greg Hollimon. The lizards and various other roles were played by Mary Jo Mundy, Jane Blass, Sandy Snyder, Steve Wallem and Andy Kerr. What a wonderful cast they were. This was before Sandy Snyder had triplets, Jane Blass toured the country with the musical 9 to 5, and Steve Wallem became Thor on Nurse Jackie. Mary Jo is now singing in Los Angeles, James is doing tons of voice overs for cartoons and video games, and Greg played Principal Onyx Blackman on Strangers With Candy. What I’m saying is this was a great cast. An ‘I Knew Them When’ cast. After a few scotches, they were an ‘I Made Them What They Are Today’ cast. The songs are tricky and they made them sound easy. Also, some of the funniest human beings ever put together.

Keep in mind, when you hear Steve Wallem’s fantastic lead vocals on In The House of Memories that he’s dressed like a giant lizard.  The show was very successful and a few years later Lifeline remounted Lizard Music for another good run.

A few years later, James Sie adapted Daniel Pinkwater’s The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death, which was not a musical despite my whining. But I did get to write the immortal Potato Song, as an homage to Marliene Dietrich.  As performed by Lusia Strus, it was a deeply, deeply silly song in a seriously silly show. If I can dig up a recording of it I’ll post it.

For more information about producing Lizard Music, please contact Lifeline Theatre.