Review: 'THE ENIGMATIST' is Impressively Clever
What a joy to see live theatre in Los Angeles again. ”THE ENIGMATIST" made its West Coast premiere at the Geffen Playhouse on September 23, 2021, with the handsome puzzle-solving Harvard graduate, David Kwong, mesmerizing his audience in this one-man show.
During the pandemic, while theater doors were shut tight, Geffen’s Executive Director Gil Cates, Jr., said to his staff, “The show must go on.” He and his team quickly pivoted to put on seven interactive Geffen ‘Stayhouse’ productions. With the help of directors, producers, artists, actors, set builders, costume designers, lighting, and sound directors, they united together to make them work and these shows were a huge success. Every show was extended, and some had additional extensions due to the pent-up demand from people staying safer at home. One, in particular, was Kwong’s show “Inside the Box.”
When we walked into the lobby of the Geffen Playhouse last Friday night, I noticed a masked man at a table greeting ticket holders, while checking their driver’s license and vaccination cards. Even with a mask on, I immediately recognized the distinctive actor-trained voice of Emir Yonzon. I have fond memories of this Geffen Stayhouse host checking in each audience member into Zoom. During the pandemic, Emir was kind, engaging and so personable, while all of us were staying safer at home. The Geffen Stayhouse provided a refreshing distraction from the uncertainty of daily life before being vaccinated.
Emir and I reminisced about how some ticket holders had a dog or cat on their couch next to them while watching the show. I shared with how I remembered a couple lying in bed in their pajamas watching David Kwong perform the interactive online puzzle show “Inside the Box”. Emir topped me, when he told me about a beautiful woman watched the show while in her bubbling hot tub.
Giddy with excitement to see each other in person, Emir handed us a “Welcome to Riverbank” puzzle card with a map showing the lines of the Fabyan Estate Street Car. It’s a pre-theatre puzzle activity to solve, before entering the smaller theater. There are four puzzle-solving areas spread throughout the lobby to provide plenty of room for social distancing. There were an array of objects and clues to help those who were stumped. Once the answer is discovered, we approached one of the ushers, and whispered it. If we were correct, our card would receive a hole punch. We needed to get all four areas on the map punched to gain access into the theater.
David Kwong, along with his director Jennifer Chambers, and the rest of the design team created a stunning supper club atmosphere. There were tall and short round tables with red tablecloths, flickering candles, and seat numbers for guests to settle in and watch the show. Only toward the back of the theatre were more traditional theater seats.
Kwong is smart, personable, and charismatic, the ideal contestant for the show Jeopardy. He is also an expert at enigmas and illusions. “There is no magic in magic,” he said while delighting and challenging us.
Magic is a puzzle to Kwong, and he learned how to turn a childhood hobby into a career, while growing up in Rochester, New York. His mother always told him, “Knowledge is power”, so he studied and practiced daily.
Before the pandemic, Kwong enjoyed success from his sold-out New York City run of the show in 2019, and he was looking so forward to coming to Los Angeles and performing at the Geffen Playhouse. Now, he finally gets to shine in person.
We learn his mentor Will Shortz, the puzzle editor of the New York Times, encouraged Kwong to follow his mantra, “A good puzzle makes the audience feel smart,” and
The Enigmatist is a historical tale told through a series of puzzles. We learn about George Fabyan and a love story about the Friedmans, a husband, and wife who were scholars and some of the best puzzle solvers in the world.
Kwong uses periodic table elements for one puzzle to solve, and a white board to construct and solve a crossword puzzle in less than 10 minutes. He is a ‘cruciverbalist” (crossword puzzle constructor) and makes the most bewildering puzzles that include a kiwi fruit and a cell phone look impossible to solve. Throughout the show, he involves the audience and gets a thrill when looking into our eyes to see our look of astonishment when the answer is revealed.
The show is a puzzle party that enlightens you with surprises and inspires you to rethink how to solve challenging puzzles in life. Clues are everywhere, so keep your eyes open to multi-layered illusions and wonderment.
The Enigmatist has been extended through November 14, 2021.
Written & Performed by David Kwong
TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets currently priced at $39.00 - $150.00. Available in person at the Geffen Playhouse box office, by phone at 310.208.2028 or online at www.geffenplayhouse.org. Fees may apply. Children under 12 years of age will not be admitted.
Ticket holders must have proof of COVID-19 Vaccinations and masks are required.