Giant Green Lizard! The Musical is an original two-act musical written for and produced at the Maverick Theater in Fullerton, California in July 2006. It is a musical parody of the Japanese monster movies from the 1950s. The book, music and lyrics were written by Jeremy Gable, from an idea conceived by Maverick Theater owner Brian Newell.[1]
The original title of the musical was Godzilla, The Musical, but the creators were notified by Toho Film Company Ltd that they could not use the name or likeness of Godzilla without permission. Therefore, the monster was renamed Gizard and the show was given a new title.
Giant Green Lizard! The Musical utilized both of the Maverick's theatrical spaces. Act One took place on the cabaret stage (which was set up to look like a karaoke bar), while Act Two took audiences to the proscenium stage, which was used as a lookout point for the Tokyo skyline. The show featured video segments, a miniature-scale destructible set of Tokyo, and a dozen original songs - including "Out of Synch", "Love Song For Gizard" and "The Monster In Me".
The show received a positive notice in the entertainment trade BackStage West, particularly noting its "inventive score" and "off-kilter sensibility". .[2]