Theater Review: Plan-B Theatre Company's Di Esperienza
By Dan Nailen
04/03/09 - 11:27 AM
Clearly, trying to encapsulate the life of a towering figure in world history like Leonardo da Vinci in a short, concise and entertaining play is no easy task.
Utah playwright Matthew Ivan Bennett poured over histories and da Vinci's own notebooks before penning Di Esperienza, infusing the 80-minute Plan-B Theatre Company production with pearls of wisdom from one of mankind's greatest minds. And he chose an appealing way to deliver those pearls, through a lively on-stage debate between da Vinci (played by Michael Brusasco, pictured) and characters-come-to-life from some of his paintings: Judas from The Last Supper (Kirt Bateman), the Mona Lisa (Tracie Merrill) and Isabella d'Este (Teresa Sanderson).
Those characters/subjects also turn into family, friends and foes in flashbacks to episodes from da Vinci's past that add some real-life drama between the theoretical, word-heavy give-and-take among the three paintings. The back-and-forth from the fantastical to the "real" life of da Vinci helps keep the show moving along at a nice clip, and gave the roundly solid cast the chance to stretch more than most one-note roles.
Brusasco, in his Plan-B debut, held up to the challenge of playing da Vinci as an adolescent all the way through to his death in his 60s—a chronological arc made a little easier to believe by Jann Haworth's costume design, which on Leonardo combined nouveau hipster (Chuck Taylors and t-shirts) with an of-its-time cloak, acting as a hoodie of sorts.
Each of the actors had impressive moments; Bateman's Judas personifies "dark comedy," and was the highlight for me. Merrill's questioning Mona Lisa, trying to reveal the truth behind her enigmatic grin, debated for centuries, was also a strong role, among the many each actor took on. The round stage, subtle sound effects and screens acting as the back of the stage—with sketches and imagery from da Vinci's sketchbooks—all combine to make Di Esperienza an intriguing experience.
Certainly, many of the flashbacks to da Vinci's background could be expanded into compelling shows all their own—so prolific was da Vinci, and so widely interested in the realms of art and science. Bennett's play manages to reveal many of his passions in short scenes illustrating just how important some of his biographical details are in explaining the man and his work.
Again, no easy task. But one Bennett successfully tackles in Di Esperienza.
Di Esperienza plays at the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center today through April 19. Running time is 80 minutes; tickets are $20 through ArtTix outlets and Plan-B. Visit Plan-B Theatre Company's Web site for showtimes, tickets and cast and crew blogs.
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