An unlikely superhero is searching for connection in "Lizard Boy," a new musical now at SpeakEasy Stage in Boston. Three actors in the cast play the entire indie-rock score of the one-act adventure, which is like a comic book come to life.

Actor musician Keiji Ishiguri stars as Trevor, the title character.

"There's real problems and real emotions that people are dealing with, and then on the other end of the spectrum, it is a comic book superhero, supervillain war," he said. 

The character also looks like something out of a comic book, Ishiguri explained, "He has green skin. He has isolated himself from everyone else in the world because he would rather do that than risk getting rejected."

Playwright, composer and lyricist Justin Huertas originated the lead role, designing Trevor to be a true superhero, who just doesn't know it.

Huertas said, "He goes on this journey over the course of one night and learns you know kind of more who he is and the power that he may hold."

The show's music is the standout star

"The music of the show is very nostalgic," said Ishiguri. "I feel like it has a lot of '90s kind of grunge rock in it."

"I wanted the kind of music that I listened to. I wanted indie-rock, but I am a cellist," Huertas added. 

The cello is what makes the piece stand out, director Lyndsay Allyn Cox explained, "You don't get to see actors play the cello on stage. It's just not something that happens commonly. And so having the instruments be such a part of the storytelling in 'Lizard Boy' really lends itself to being a superhero story, because they use these instruments in the most remarkable ways."

"I'm playing the cello standing up," says Ishiguri. "I am playing the cello, walking through space with it, using it as a weapon."

Despite the fantastical elements, the piece is still grounded. 

"Sometimes you want to come to the theater and just have a really good time," explains Cox. "But you also get this real deep connection and this visceral experience of what it feels like to find your people and to find hope and to find that little bit of confidence you need in yourself to accept yourself for who you are."

You can see "Lizard Boy" at SpeakEasy Stage at the Calderwood Pavilion in Boston's South End through Sunday.