Content Guidance

Leonardo! A Wonderful Show about a Terrible Monster is a charming tale about Leonardo and Frankenthaler, two not-so-scary monsters, and two scaredy-cat kids, Sam and Kerry. The heartfelt story is one that explores what friendship is, and the courage it takes to find it. Through innovative mixed-media storytelling, the play uses live music, puppetry, and acting to guide audiences through the story—the discovery of friendship, finding belonging, and the value of choosing kindness. It is a touching reminder that when we work to understand each other, even the most terrible things can be more wonderful than we ever thought. By watching this production, audiences will feel inspired, understood, silly, and reminded that kindness is something to treasure.

Friendship
Friends come in various shapes and sizes. Some are tough, some are kind, some are funny, and sometimes, are very different from us. Leonardo! A Wonderful Show about a Terrible Monster shows audiences that the best of friends are not just someone who like all the same stuff as us, but someone who is distinct and special in their own way. The play teaches audiences that while finding friends can be scary, it is wonderful when we make one.

Belonging
It can be hard to feel like you belong. Feeling like you do not fit in or are on the outside is not fun for anyone. In Leonardo! A Wonderful Show about a Terrible Monster, audiences learn how when we take the time to understand one another, we create a safe space that can bring people together and ensure that everybody has a place where they belong.

Courage
What does it mean to have courage? In Leonardo! A Wonderful Show about a Terrible Monster, the characters discover that having courage means many things—choosing kindness, making your own way, finding friends, and trying new things. The story teaches audiences that courage is something that lives inside all of us, and we have the power to use it.

Choosing Kindness
In Leonardo! A Wonderful Show about a Terrible Monster, Leonardo struggles to be a scary monster. Because of this, the other monsters make him feel out-of-place and like he does not fit in. Only when Leonardo chooses to be kind and supportive to Sam does he discover something wonderful. The play teaches audiences that when we choose to be kind, we can make others and ourselves feel seen, welcome, and at home.

This production allows audiences to see behind-the-scenes magic as the actors use several different methods to tell the story. This includes projections, live music, live video, and shadow puppetry that may look somewhat spooky but is framed in a humorous context. Some characters engage in teasing language, and there is one moment of audience engagement where the performers prompt the audience to answer a question. The answers are used in performance.

Music, song, 2D puppetry, and other mixed media methods open the show and introduce Leonardo, an absolutely terrible monster! Well, not terrible as in scary, more that he is simply bad at being scary. He is terrible at being a monster! He is so bad at being scary the other monsters make fun of him for it, teasing that Leonardo could not even scare the most scaredy-cat kid in the entire world. Leonardo feels this simply cannot be true. So, he embarks on a mission to scare the “tuna salad” out this scaredy-cat kid.

With the help of the Public Library and its dutiful librarian, Leonardo finds the scaredy-cat kid—a boy named Sam. Sam is terrified of everything—leaves, coughs, even a ringing telephone. But every chance Leonardo tries to scare Sam, he fails. As a final resort, Leonardo tries the “monster under the bed” routine. As expected, Leonardo fails to scare Sam. Leonardo instead finds Sam crying. Sam was not scared, but rather, had a really rough day.

In that moment, Leonardo makes a big choice—instead of being a monster, he will be a wonderful friend. The play transitions into a beautiful song and montage of Leonardo and Sam’s friendship. A beautiful scene so touching it makes the other monsters wish they had a wonderful friend too.

After, the audience is introduced to Kerry, the second-most scaredy-cat kid in the world, and the monster Frankenthaler, who like Leonardo, is a terrible monster. When Frankenthaler attempts to scare Kerry, she ends up crying, not because she is scared, but because she too had a terrible day. To remedy this problem, the two decide to get ice cream, and while they are enjoying their ice cream, they run into Sam and Leonardo!

However, when they see one another, Sam and Kerry scream. They fear each other! Unable to solve the problem, Leonardo and Frankenthaler leave, telling Sam and Kerry to figure it out themselves. Though it was very strange and scary at first, Sam and Kerry begin to learn more about one another and become friends.

The show concludes with a silly flip-of-the-script as Sam and Kerry successfully scare Leonardo and Frankenthaler. All is well in the world, and the four end the show having found friendship, understanding, and belonging.

I’ll Be Your Superhero is a touching story about the bond Xavier and John John, a young boy and his uncle, build over their mutual love for superheroes and Comic Con. Exploring themes of mental health, vulnerability, belonging, and family, the play is an example of the extraordinary emerging from the ordinary. It is a beautiful, joyous, and impactful play about a Chicano man and a Chicano boy navigating difficult emotions. Through having the courage to be honest and open about their emotions, the two develop a relationship rooted in belonging, trust, and love. Watching this production, audiences will feel love, connection, witness the power of teamwork, and leave with a sense of magic and hope.

Mental Health
As explained in I’ll Be Your Superhero, mental health is just as important as your physical health. The same way you should not feel ashamed about going to the doctor when you feel sick, there is no shame in going to the doctor for your mental health—even the strongest superheroes can get sad. Being open, vulnerable, and honest about your mental health does not make us weaker; it makes us stronger.

Emotions & Vulnerability
In I’ll Be Your Superhero, the characters experience a wide variety of emotions, some more difficult and complex than others. Through watching the play, audiences learn that difficult emotions are not something that is entirely unique to us as individuals but an experience that is more common than we think. Having these feelings does not make us small, or alone; it makes us human. When we have the courage to be vulnerable and open about what we are feeling, we become stronger and more connected to the people around us.

Superheroes & Heroism
Through much of the play, Xavier and John John navigate what it means to be a superhero. Connected by their mutual struggles with mental health, the two realize that showing up for one another can be an act of heroism too. They discover that being a superhero is more than having fancy powers; it can also look like honesty, vulnerability, standing up for what you believe in, advocating for others, being confident, and showing compassion. Together, Xavier and John John create a place of belonging, and on the way, find how they can be superheroes for one another.

Family
As seen in I’ll Be Your Superhero, family can mean a variety of things. While related, Xavier and John John begin the play almost like strangers, but through honesty, love, and a desire to understand, they redefine the “traditional” image of a family. By watching the show, audiences learn that families are not always predetermined but built with the people who choose to love, listen, and understand you.

This production includes conversations about mental health, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), difficult emotions, and changes in family caregiving. The story includes a child temporarily separated from a loving parent while the parent receives mental health care, and an uncle who steps in as caregiver to support his nephew’s well-being.

A nightmare sequence features projections of silhouettes and shadows of soldiers and weapons. There is no onstage gun use or gunfire. We share this information to help families and educators make informed decisions about their theatre experience.

The play begins with Xavier arriving at his uncle John John’s apartment for the first time. Xavier, in the absence of his mother, Maria, has been placed in his uncle’s care. John John’s new apartment is bare, and filled with unpacked boxes from his very recent move-in. The mood is awkward, tense, and worsened when Xavier gets emotional about his mother’s situation.

A few weeks later, the apartment remains unpacked, and the mood continues to be awkward. Though, when John John and Xavier look at a family photo of Xavier during his birth, an opportunity for the two to talk about Xavier’s mom arises. They discuss her mental health struggles and her fight to get better.

The play moves to Xavier alone in the apartment while his uncle is at work. John John’s boxes remain unpacked. Despite his best efforts, Xavier’s curiosity takes over, and he opens one of the boxes. Inside is a treasure trove of action figures from various comics. What follows is a moment of pure connection between the two over their mutual love for superheroes, Marvel, DC, and comics. There is a silly debate over whether Marvel or DC is better, and a vulnerable moment between the two over their shared experience with sadness.

A couple months later, Xavier enters the apartment to find a frantic John John surrounded by several laptops. John John is desperately attempting to get two notoriously difficult-to-get tickets to Comic-Con. He hoped to surprise Xavier with them. After a montage of the two trying, they fail to escape the queue and secure tickets. However, in what feels like a miracle, the final laptop reveals they are next in the queue, and they can get their tickets.

After, in a comic bookstore, John John and Xavier decide to attend Comic-Con in cosplay—dressing up as one of their favorite characters. However, after some discussion they decide to dress up as the superhero versions of themselves. All they need to do is choose what power to have. John John suggests the power of invisibility for Xavier; however, this upsets Xavier who feels they are already invisible to everyone he knows—no one notices him.

New Year’s Eve arrives, and the sound of fireworks fills the air. Xavier comes out to the living room finding John John huddled on the floor hands over his ears. The scene explores John John’s complex feelings and trauma from his time in the United States Marine Corps. While heavy, the scene highlights the importance of empathy and understanding, especially for the people you love.

The play transitions into a joyous costume making montage. This is followed by a touching scene of John John and Xavier at the beach looking up at the constellations. For both Xavier and John John, the beach is a place tied to Maria—their love for her, and her love for them.

A month later, John John and an upset Xavier return to the apartment following a meeting with Xavier’s teacher. Xavier has been acting up in school. John John realizes this behavior is a result of Xavier’s real and difficult struggles with his mental health. John John has seen this battle with his sister, now sees it with his nephew, and after his time in the marines, can relate to it. It’s tough, but as Xavier and John John discuss, even the strongest superheroes can be sad, and that sadness does not make them weak; it makes them human.

After months of hard work and burned hands, Xavier and John John finally finish their costumes. The elation is interrupted by a call from Maria, who has checked herself into a facility. It is a touching, albeit tough conversation for the family, but one that showcases the perseverance of love, particularly between family.

Finally, the moment they have been working towards for months is here. John John and Xavier have made it to Comic-Con. While they have made the best superhero costumes in the world, the true work of art is the love and home they have built together. The show ends with the two not only as uncle and nephew, but one another’s superhero.