Part of the Singapore International Festival of Arts’ Little SIFA, Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About A Terrible Monster is an entertaining family-friendly show, combining deft stagecraft, live music, acting and puppetry to create cinema before your eyes in real-time. It is a fun and unique experience that will appeal to both kids and adults.
Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About A Terrible Monster
Leonardo has a terrible problem – he is a terrible monster. It is not that he is a terrifying monster. Instead, it is quite the opposite. He is terrible at being a monster.
He goes in search of the most timid child in the world to scare and finds Sam. However, even Sam is hard to scare. What happens next is a charming tale that celebrates the power of friendship and the courage to find oneself.
The 50-minute show is adapted from two books by children’s author Mo Willems, telling the stories in the books in a fun and creative way that appeals to kids.
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Backstage Look and Live-Action Cinema
The creation of Chicago-based Manual Cinema, Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About A Terrible Monster is a confluence of various practices – theatre, puppetry and video projection.
There are two ways to enjoy this production.
You can watch the artists manipulating the puppets on the set. It is amazing to watch the four-person team switch effortlessly between their different roles, bouncing back and forth between playing the characters of the monsters and the children in the story.
The audience can get a “backstage” look at the live-action creation process, allowing for a newfound appreciation of the artistry involved in staging the show.
Amazingly, many of the props used in the show are simple everyday stationery and materials like file binders, regular paper and barbecue sticks.
The live action is then broadcasted up onto a screen above where it can be watched as a cinema experience.
It is up to the audience whether to watch the live action on the stage or the projected “film” on screen above. It feels like two shows in one.
We’ve never experienced anything quite like this before. It is an unusual format but one that works and opens up the mind to the creative process. Definitely a recommended experience for kids ages 3 and up.
After the performance was over at SOTA Drama Theatre, the artists and their puppets stayed back to answer the questions from the kids in the audience. They will be doing so after every 4 pm show during Singapore International Festival of Arts till Sunday, 26 May 2024.
There will also be a family workshop on 26 May 2024 where participants can create their own puppet animation using the same techniques used in the show. This talkback session was conducted by Sarah Fornace, Director and Co-writer of Leonardo! A Wonderful Show about a Terrible Monster!
Those attending Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About A Terrible Monster should also make their way across the street to Cathay Green to check out the free Dancer’s Fair, a whimsical fairground with old-school vibes.
Catch Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About A Terrible Monster at Little SIFA
Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About A Terrible Monster will be on till 26 May 2024, so there is still time to get tickets to watch the show. Find out more about the show and Little SIFA, part of the Singapore International Festival of Arts.
After the show, you should also head across the street to The Dancer’s Fair at Cathay Green.
