Chicago Children's Theatre to Present LEONARDO! A WONDERFUL SHOW ABOUT A TERRIBLE MONSTER

Leonardo is a terrible monster. He tries so hard to be scary, but he just...isn't.

Then Leonardo finds Sam, the most scaredy-cat kid in the world. Will Leonardo finally get his chance to scare the tuna salad out of an unsuspecting human? Or will it be the start of an unlikely friendship?

Find out when Chicago Children's Theatre presents Manual Cinema's world premiere live production, Leonardo! A Wonderful Show about a Terrible Monster, inspired by the children's books by Mo Willems. Performances are January 29-February 27, 2022.

Press opening performances are Saturday and Sunday, January 29 and 30 at 10:30 a.m. or 12:30 p.m.

The newest creation by Chicago's wildly inventive Manual Cinema, Leonardo! A Wonderful Show about a Terrible Monster is monstrously fun for kids and parents alike, realized through a remarkable mix of live actors, 3D puppets, DIY cinema, original music and immersive sound. It starts as the story of a monster who longs to be scary, but the plot thickens when Leonardo and his excitable friend Sam meet Kerry and Frankenthaler, an even scaredier-cat and her monster friend. Kerry and Sam will need to make a big decision: will they be friends or will they be controlled by their fears? Leonardo! A Wonderful Show about a Terrible Monster helps children understand the big decisions about identity and empathy that we all must make.

Manual Cinema, the Chicago Tribune's "Chicago Theater Artists of the Year" in 2018, is coming off widespread acclaim as the shadow puppet animators for the major motion film Candyman, released last summer by Jordan Peele's Monkeypaw Productions.

Fast forward to 2022, and Leonardo! A Wonderful Show about a Terrible Monster marks the company's return to staging new work, live and in-person, since the pandemic.

An earlier version, titled Leonardo and Sam, received its virtual world premiere at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in March 2021.

If you want to see the live version of Leonardo! A Wonderful Show about a Terrible Monster, you better get Kraken.

Performances run January 29-February 27, 2022: Saturday and Sunday at 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Tickets are $32. Run time is 60 minutes with no intermission. For tickets, visit chicagochildrenstheatre.org or call Chicago Children's Theatre Guest Services, (312) 374-8835.

School performances are Tuesday through Thursday at 10 a.m., and Friday at 10 a.m. and Noon. Email groupsales@chicagochildrenstheatre.org or to learn about discounted rates for schools and other groups.

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