Theater Review: ‘The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci’

CHICAGO—When it first opened in 1993 at the Goodman Studio Theatre, the show was spectacular, and now—almost three decades later—“The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci” is still a wondrous, ingenious, whimsical, and stunning piece of theater.

Adapted from the Renaissance man’s notebooks by Mary Zimmerman, who also directs the 90-minute show, aspects of the 5,000 pages that he wrote backward (so that they could be read only by using a mirror) come alive on stage. The production isn’t so much a biographical work or a plot-driven drama, but it’s more a look into the consciousness of one of the most imaginative minds in history.

Renaissance Polymath

In “The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci,” we are introduced to the Italian polymath who, because everything fascinated him, never spent a dull moment in boredom. Zimmerman captures the workings of Leonardo’s mind in such an engaging and compelling way that we can’t help but be drawn into his enthralling world. As the play unfolds, we are amazed by his artistic and scientific endeavors, his commentary on an array of natural wonders, his observations of people, and his intriguing recollections.