Before he was the Leonardo da Vinci who changed the world, he was just a child – and a child whose fate was in question.
The early life of Leonardo is explored in a play by Maureen Hunter – and the Vagabond Players are bringing it to the stage at the end of this month.
Vinci plays at the Bernie Legge Theatre in Queen’s Park from March 30 to April 23.
It revolves around the life of the gifted child and who will be given custody of him: his peasant mother or his rich father? Padre Bartolomeo, a friend of the da Vinci family, finds himself caught between the powerful family and Leonardo’s defiant unwed mother, the servant Caterina.
Jeremy Heynen stars as Padre Bartolomeo and Catlin Corey Franks plays Piero, the headstrong friend whose precipitate actions cause heartache to the women who love him. Darby Steeves is onstage as Caterina, while Elizabeth Drummond appears as Albiera – Piero’s neglected wife who longs for a child.
The cast is completed by Dale Kelly as the da Vinci patriarch, Antonio, and Kyle Wipp as Piero’s younger brother, Francesco.
Shows are on Thursday to Saturday at 8 p.m., with Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. There’s no show on Easter Sunday, April 16.
Tickets are $17, or $15 for children and youth, with $12 previews on March 30 and 31.
Tickets can be purchased at www.vagabondplayers.ca/tickets or by calling 604-521-0412.
