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by Maureen Hunter, directed by Dennis Garnhum

Canadian Stage, Bluma Appel Theatre, Toronto

January 17-February 8, 2003

Maureen Hunter's Vinci from 2002 spins a single dubious idea to two hours' length.  History records only that Leonardo, the illegitimate son of Piero da Vinci and an unnamed servant, is first listed at age five as a member of Piero's household. From this Hunter's extrapolates the notion the mother's five years of nurturing contributed to his genius.  Since historically Leonardo succeeded no matter what his birth-mother did or didn't do, why make a simplistic assumption aggrandizing parents for their children's later achievements?

Under the Renaissance costume, Vinci is merely a clichéd child-custody battle.  The father's rich family wants an heir and the child is all the poor but noble single-mother has.  Since the unseen child is Leonardo, Hunter assumes we will care.  Since the historical reality is greater than Hunter's feeble fiction, we don't.  The dialogue is dull, the tension level is nil and key points are expressed in banalities like "You've got to play the cards you're dealt."

Hunter undermines any attempt at historicity by typing Leonardo's mother as a protofeminist who acts in no way like a servant and by including two modern sensitive guys, Piero's brother and (incredibly) a priest, to decry the ways of the 15th century.  Albiera, Piero's nervous, barren wife, is the only engaging character, who in Fiona Byrne's insightful performance draws more sympathy than Leonardo's mother (Patricia Fagan).  The rest of the fine cast, unaided by Dennis Garnhum's somnolent direction, does its best to turn stereotypes into people.

John Jenkins's rotating giant's toy of a set is too self-consciously clever, but it ensures that at least the scene changes hold our interest.

©Christopher Hoile

Note: A version of this review appeared in Eye Weekly 2003-01-23.

Photo: Patricia Fagan and Robert Benson. ©2003 Gordon King.