Lizard People took its inspiration from the pervasive conspiracy theory that the world is secretly run by lizard people who take over the bodies of important humans. It was the story of Shiv (Elliot Wood), a lizard seen as potentially harbouring sympathies for humans and so they was tasked with embodying Elon Musk to see where their loyalties lie.
Laura McKenzie’s script took the clever idea of a human-loving lizard and brought it to life with an entertaining misadventure that combined witty writing and satire, as well as a couple of Ballarat bogan housemates. As funny as the show was, there was always the underlying message that a lot of the crazy behaviour on display was not too far from the real world in which we live.
It is hard to know what is scarier, a lizard controlling Elon Musk or Elon Musk on his own sans lizard manipulation.
The story did drag through the middle of the show, and it could easily have been shorter than its 90-minute run time. The ending too, was a little too satisfactorily neat. It could have been much more dramatic and exciting.
However, Wood stole the show as Shiv and Musk. Theirs was a charismatic performance, with their facial expressions a highlight. The supporting cast was a lot of fun too, with the bogan housemates, Spider (Clover Blue) and Maz (Georgia Barron) particularly entertaining. Bridie Pamment turned in a hilariously bizarre performance as Musk’s partner Grimes, though the vocal delivery was at times a bit quiet and hard to hear.
It was also noticeable that the scenes with just the lizards interacting with each other were less engaging than the rest of the show. This imbalance made it harder to understand Shiv’s conflicted nature as it felt like there was much more value in the human interactions than the lizard ones.
Lizard People was enhanced by the use of technology, including the use of several video montages to reflect the transformation from lizard to human. There were also some additional tech surprises – which fit nicely with the Musk character. Laura McKenzie’s direction managed to balance various parts of the action while avoiding the temptation to overuse the tech elements.
Lizard People developed a clever idea into an entertaining show with some engaging performances, especially from Wood. However, it went on for too long and the ending could have been better developed. Nonetheless, there was still a lot of fun to be had with the concept that the most powerful people in the world are controlled by lizards.
Read: Musical review: Flat Earthers: The Musical, Hayes Theatre
Next time you watch the news you may just wonder if you are watching a real human or a lizard-controlled human.
Lizard People
Meat Market Stables
Written, directed and produced by: Laura McKenzie
Assistant director: Bridie Pamment
Sound design, sound and lighting technician: Olivia McKenna
Lighting Design: Kate Kelly
Set design: Jessamine Moffett
Film Production Company: Park Avenue Media
Cast: Elliot Wood, Clover Blue, Georgia Barron Bridie Pamment
Lizard People was performed 16-21 October 2024 as part of the Melbourne Fringe Festival.
