An Absolutely Wonderful Show

“This is the greatest thing I have ever seen in my life,” I whispered to my friend.

Which is a really bold statement, especially considering the show was only about three minutes in.

This Saturday I attended the opening of The Children’s Theatre Company production of Leonardo! A Wonderful Show about a Terrible Monster. The story is about a cute little monster named Leonardo who is a terrible… uh, well you saw the title. The show is about him trying his best to scare someone because that’s what monsters are supposed to do.

It’s a cute story and Leonardo is adorable, but the charm of the show is the production. Using a combination of live music, multimedia, and puppets, we saw Leonardo and his fellow monsters and his friends come to life. It was one of the most enjoyable evenings of my life.

A story is only as fun as the storytelling and HOW Leonardo’s story is told is pure magic. The puppeteers and actors stood in front of a camera and the audience watched the show on a giant screen. It was fun going back and forth watching the story on the screen AND watching the actors and seeing HOW they were working their magic.

I hope my description of this is bringing the cast justice, but if not, the pictures below might help.

The screen is showing Leonardo practicing his best scare tactics in a mirror and the rest of the photo is the cast bringing the scene to life.

Here are some other photos of the production that also show the very clever and creative way Leonardo’s story was told.

This is a lovely blend of practical effects and minimal props which I feel brings out the most creativity in a project. It felt like something you and a few friends could make. I felt very inspired after the play.

I know I rave a lot about the plays I see, but this is my new favorite. It runs until March 9th and I cannot recommend it enough.

Thank you to the Children’s Theatre for the invitation and for the absolutely charming evening.

Love, Hannah