Leonardo

Leonardo opens the new season at Seattle Children's Theatre, running October 1 through 11 at the Charlotte Martin Theatre. It's the first production of the 2026-27 season, which the company is framing as a collection of stories about journeying across worlds, generations, and imaginations, all tied together by a shared search for belonging.

The show is created by Manual Cinema, a Chicago-based visual arts production company, and takes its inspiration from two of Mo Willems' books: Leonardo, The Terrible Monster and Sam, The Most Scaredy-Cat Kid in The Whole World. It follows Leonardo, a green monster who's far less fearsome than his peers, as he searches for the biggest scaredy-cat in the world and finds an unlikely friendship along the way.

What makes this one stand out is how it's put together. The story comes to life through hundreds of illustrated paper puppets, furry monsters, live music, and cinematic magic, with the artists creating it all live on stage. The storytelling is projected onto a screen hanging above the stage, captured by multiple cameras, hand-held puppets, paper cut-outs, and props. Lily Emerson handles the narration, voices the monsters and the two kids, sings the musical numbers, and plays guitar throughout. It's a lot to track at once—the live action on stage and the projected image above it—and seeing how it all fits together is a good part of the experience.

It's already picked up some praise, with Seattle's Child calling it "out-of-the-box storytelling and playful stage innovation." Tickets start at $26, and the run goes through October 11 at the Charlotte Martin Theatre, 201 Thomas Street.