Rodrigo Murray’s Leonardo monologue celebrates 150 performances at Teatro Helénico, Digi Mart USA News (Mexico City): From November 6 to 15, actor Rodrigo Murray returns to the Teatro Helénico to celebrate the tenth season and 150 performances of his solo show, Leonardo. The monologue takes audiences through the life and work of the Renaissance genius, exploring his insatiable curiosity and his passion for art and science.
The performance runs about 75 minutes. Shows take place on Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 7 p.m.
and Sundays at 6 p.m. The tenth season opens on November 6, which will also mark the commemoration of the 150 performances.
Murray said his aim from the start was to speak beyond the genius and focus on the ordinary person who can connect with audiences. He explained that his father introduced him to da Vinci when he was about 10 years old, and that the human side surprised him most.
“He was a genius, but he was like everyone else, with worries, loves, disagreements, and that is exactly what I want to say in the monologue,” the actor said.
According to the publisher, Murray spent nearly 15 years researching the character, aiming to present a Leonardo with a strong sense of humor and a side beyond the obvious. During this process, he discovered that Leonardo was a great fan and lover of theater, which motivated him to develop the monologue.
The staging relies on transformations and shifts in time, with a sculptural and art-object element, Leonardo 4, created by Mexican sculptor Sebastián, which pays homage to da Vinci’s thinking, canons and golden proportions. The set transforms the space so audiences feel they are walking the streets of Florence or Milan in the late 1400s alongside Leonardo.
To help audiences identify with the story, Murray builds a parallel narrative in which Rodrigo, an unemployed actor, writes a monologue about da Vinci, a fiction within a fiction that allows him to express his own desires. The show is aimed at people who want to examine their own lives, including their successes and failures in romantic, professional and financial matters.
After each performance, a conversation with the audience follows to question what was seen on stage. Leonardo remains at the Teatro Helénico for two weekends.
