`LIZARD' ALL ABOUT THE JOURNEY.

Byline: Evan Henerson Theater Critic

If Huck Finn had had a disfigured cousin as good of heart and adventure-loving as himself, that boy might have been Lucius ``Lizard'' Simms. That Lizard's picaresque journey leads him home rather than to new undiscovered lands is beside the point.

The joy of ``Lizard,'' the new musical by NoHo Arts Center's Scott DeTurk and James J. Mellon, is decidedly in the trav'lin'.

This may not have been the ultimate aim of Mellon and DeTurk -- the team behind NoHo Arts Center's previous musicals ``Dorian'' and ``The Ghost and Mrs. Muir.'' ``Lizard,'' based on the novel by Dennis Covington, purports to examine a boy who comes to terms with being different in a none-too-

accepting world.

Such themes are in the wind, but they seem to be on the periphery. Lizard -- who has peculiar eyes, a deformed face and a penchant for climbing trees -- is meant to be the kind of boy who brings out the decency in people. Or else he reflects their own inner ugliness and earns hatred.

In this production, David Eldon (in the title role) looks to be, at best, at the end of his teenage years. The actor's singing voice is one of the cast's weakest (particularly when he's sharing a number with someone like James Barbour). His innocence -- which later morphs into ethical conviction -- serves him well.

The role, it is quickly discovered, is rather less exciting than the colorful hooligans Lizard encounters. Even so, you can't help wondering what this part might have been had it been played by someone younger, rawer and under harsher makeup (Scott Ramp's lizard job isn't particularly repugnant).

Still, we're following the adventures of a kid who flees a school for retarded children in the company of a pair of third rate actors, gets involved with a plot involving the theft of a valuable silver bowl and winds up playing Caliban in a one-

night engagement of ``The Tempest'' in a Chinese restaurant. Along the way, he discovers his parents' identity. Be it novel or play, I call that a ripping good yarn.

And director Mellon and cast tell it with a dramatist's flair. A large tree dominates Craig Siebels' otherwise-bare set. A car is created out of connecting suitcases. Luke Moyer makes strong use of light.

Barbour, playing the actor Callahan who spirits Lizard away, is a steady narrative guide and a convincing louse. When he puts on a fake mustache, impersonates a salesman and sings a sprightly number called ``Everybody Needs Shoes,'' the man's brio is utterly infectious. Ditto the second-act opening song about the joys of the theater, titled ``Just Imagine'' and led by ``Tempest'' director Wanda (Melanie Ewbank).

Enacting a huckster, Barbour gets to be broad, and -- as he showed in ``Mrs. Muir'' last year -- he's quite good at it. Laura Philbin Coyle quietly shines as Callahan's fellow actor and more sensible better half. And Bob Morrisey does a smooth and utterly convincing turn as a levelheaded museum curator who gives Lizard some good advice.

The musical's conclusion is a little soggy, but at least we're left with the notion that a couple of key players will hit the road in search of more adventure. Given the flair of this musical's traveling spirit, that's a mighty good thing.

Evan Henerson, [phone]

evan.henerson(at)dailynews.com

LIZARD - Three stars

Where: NoHo Arts Center, 11136 Magnolia Blvd., North Hollywood.

When: 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday; through Sept. 3.

Tickets: $30 to $35. [phone]

In a nutshell: The road beckons, and a deformed, contemporary Huck Finn heeds the call.

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Photo:

David Eldon, foreground, and James Barbour star in the musical ``Lizard,'' at the NoHo Arts Center.