The Rep’s Brain-Teasing ‘The Enigmatist’ Exhilarates and Entertains Like the Best Game Night Ever

The Rep’s Brain-Teasing ‘The Enigmatist’ Exhilarates and Entertains Like the Best Game Night Ever

By Lynn Venhaus

Mesmerizing and masterful, “The Enigmatist” is a mind-blowing, brain-teasing, cleverly constructed blend of magic, puzzles, cryptology, and history.

This indelible one-man show by big-brained mastermind David Kwong engages through his razor-sharp wit and a theatrical flair for surprise. Clues abound and it felt like a communal game night with fun, smart people.

In the final stretch of The Rep’s season of “Daring Imagination,” this latest gem in the Steve Woolf Studio Series ignited an exhilarating adventure that left me awestruck and feeling as if my brain had undertaken a stimulating workout.

Before he even introduced himself, Kwong had us intrigued at the Puzzle Garden, an appetizing array of four brainteasers in The Rep’s lobby that serves as a prelude to his immersive experience below in the Emerson Studio Theatre.

The Puzzle Garden is ready to explore before the show and during intermission. Photo by Jon Gitchoff.

Highly recommended is arriving early so you can spend 30 minutes trying to figure them out – with small and large hints accessible. This interactive warm-up sets the stage for a shared feeling of togetherness that made the event so memorable. And you can return at intermission.

Most impressive is Kwong’s showmanship – in both his storytelling and audience interaction. He’s a charming ‘cruciverbalist’ who writes New York Times crossword puzzles, which accounts for his astounding verbal dexterity, but he has an easy-going, self-deprecating sense of humor that instantly engages the audience.

He’ll tell you about the gap between what you see and what you believe, and you’re immediately hooked. The thrill of code-breaking soon follows. The audience gets to guess, answer and be a part of the presentation. You may think that Kwong is the smartest man in the room, but you may be surprised by the brilliant minds sitting near you.

A dapper, slender man in a suit-and-tie, Kwong’s professorial demeanor doesn’t need the enhancement of a flamboyant Vegas-type spectacle for his imaginative tricks, and in his seamless style, keeps the show moving with astonishing ‘math magic’ and a fascinating tale involving intelligent heroes and stingy villains.

An audience member interacts with David Kwong. Photo by Jon Gitchoff.

Yes, math and science figure into his show, and so do history and wordplay. Fellow nerds and brainiacs are in heaven, but you don’t have to be a card-carrying Mensa member to enjoy. Just bring your curiosity and put on your thinking cap.

Suffice it to say you’ll never look at a kiwi fruit the same way again, and you’ll want to dig out your Scrabble board once you’re at home. The thrill of discovery is a major part of this intricately concocted excursion. (And we reciprocated by introducing him to Imo’s Pizza when someone suggested Imo’s for a crossword puzzle.)

His current playground is a cozy study setting, resembling what might have been at 221B Baker Street in London, Sherlock Holmes’ fictional address, or a well-traveled academic’s sanctuary. A few cabaret tables are scattered for patrons, giving it a small basement club vibe too.

Production Designer Brett J. Banakis and Lighting Designer Sean Gleason effectively keep the focus on Kwong’s illusions while Video Designer Joshua Higgason’s treasure trove of historical research helps us understand George Fabyan, who is a central figure in this enigmatic presentation.

A veteran New York Times crossword puzzle constructionist, Kwong shows how it’s done. Photo provided.

Fabyan, an eccentric business tycoon whose Riverbank estate along the Fox River in Geneva, Illinois, became home to experts in science, agriculture, literature and more as a private research laboratory. Known for pioneering modern cryptology in early 20th century, Fabyan is recognized as a forerunner of the National Security Administration.

Just as fascinating is the backstory of William and Elizabeth Smith Friedman, two of his employees who married and became experts in code breaking. They introduced mathematical/scientific methods to codebreaking during World War I, broke Japanese codes (including PURPLE) in World War II, and developed the theory of secure, one-time-pad communication.

Kwon weaves their stories into his script, and the history lesson is noteworthy. The visuals are not only those tidbits, but we watch Kwong construct Scrabble words — including three 8-letter ‘Bingos’ — and a crossword puzzle with an incredible verbal virtuosity that must be unrivaled.

The son of history and biochemistry professors, Kwong credits his “really smart” parents for sparking his curious intellect. A Harvard graduate who has become a renowned puzzle maker, TED Talk favorite and author, he has written “Spellbound: Seven Principles of Illusion to Captivate Audiences and Unlock the Secrets of Success,” and the children’s book “How to Fool Your Parents.”

Kwong surprises another audience member. Photo by Jon Gitchoff.

He also caught the attention of Hollywood and has been a consultant on the “Now You See Me” movies, “Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation,” “The Imitation Game” and the television series “Blindspot.”

Produced by Erica Fee and Jason Seabright, the show has wowed sell-out crowds in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington D.C., Toronto and London since its debut in 2019.

With its unmistakable new worlds of wonder, “The Enigmatist” is a delightful evening, where loud gasps, chuckles, and exclamations ripple throughout the audience, sparking applause and jaws dropping in equal measure.

No rabbits are pulled out of hats and there is no escape hatch, but you may be giddy if you find calculations appealing. You get the hocus pocus of card tricks and mystifying sleight-of-hand (best left unspoiled), and creative problem-solving that is stunning. And that’s entertaining on multiple levels.

Kwong about to reveal something that will stun the audience. Photo by Jon Gitchoff.

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents “The Enigmatist” March 7 – April 5 as the final installment of The Rep’s 2025-26 Steve Woolf Studio Series in the Emerson Studio Theatre, located in the Loretto-Hilton Center on the Webster University campus, 130 Edgar Road, Webster Groves.

The show is recommended for those ages 6 and up. Including a 15-minute intermission, the show is about 2 hours. Merchandise is available for purchase, including magic books and playing cards from David Kwong,

Tickets for are general admission. Audiences can elevate their experience by upgrading to a Studio VIP Subscription, which includes reserved seating, parking in Lot K, and exclusive behind‑the‑scenes content and interactive experiences. Tickets are available at repstl.org or by calling The Rep Box Office at (314) 968‑4925.

Who knew Scrabble tiles could be so entertaining? Photo provided.

Tender and Touching ‘Nonsense and Beauty’ Is Superbly Acted and Directed in The Rep’s Studio

Tender and Touching ‘Nonsense and Beauty’ Is Superbly Acted and Directed in The Rep’s Studio

By Lynn Venhaus
Managing Editor
“Nonsense and beauty have close connections,” Edward Morgan Forster once wrote.
Playwright Scott Sickles took that phrase as the title of his splendid play,
which the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis helped develop. And oh, what a
starting place it is.

“Nonsense and Beauty,” Sickles’ timeless tale of love and
forgiveness, is set in a very different era where same-sex relationships were mostly
hidden, and famous British author E. M. Forster is caught up in the nonsense
and beauty of a long affair with a man 23 years his junior – who will marry a
woman during this conflicted period.

Not your garden-variety real-life love story, as it
unfolds, we discover a believable love triangle with likable people – no
villains, wrapped in a very complicated forbidden relationship between two complex
men, while on the sidelines, there’s the unrequited love of a dear friend who desires
more. Additionally, there’s the unconditional love of a mother, although a prickly
and miserable woman.

In lesser hands, this would be a turgid soap opera with
starched collars. And while the poignant play unleashes an emotional
rollercoaster, it’s contained in an elegantly rendered production that is
exquisitely acted and sharply directed.
Staged crisply by Seth Gordon downstairs in the Studio Theatre, that intimate
space and the in-the-round format suits the play well. My fondness for the
characters grew with each scene, as their connections with each other were
conveyed so well.

Forster, known to his close friends as Morgan and gay, was
the celebrated novelist (“Howards End,” “A Room with a View,” “Where Angels
Fear to Tread,” “A Passage to India”), a prolific essayist and 16-time nominee
for the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Considered a humanist, the stuffy conventions of the
upper-class British society he lived and worked in were a source of material
for him, as he could not live life out loud in such a universal state of
repression. After all, homosexuality was illegal in the United Kingdom until
1967.

He was an intelligent man of impeccable manners, and
Jeffrey Hayenga excels as showing us his wordly refined side, but also his
yearnings and longing for a life he could only imagine. Hayenga’s absorbing
performance is tender and touching.

After he met London policeman Bob Buckingham, a jolly old
chap of no discernable stature, at the Cambridge-Oxford boat race in 1930, they
began a risky on-and-off relationship that would span 40 years.

TUESDAY, MARCH 5, 2019 – This is the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis’ production of “Nonsense and Beauty” as the Loretto-Hilton Center. ©Photo by Jerry Naunheim Jr.Their friendship was tested when Bob courted and married smart
and feisty May, a no-nonsense nurse who did not follow up any possible
suspicions about the men spending ‘alone’ time together. She stayed in the
dark, whether it was of her own choosing or she just didn’t go there in her
mind.

Forster was a major presence in their family’s lives.
Nobody meant to hurt each other, but oh, what aching and pain endured.

An engaging pair together, Robbie Simpson as Bob and Lori Vega as May displayed genuine sparks as their relationship grows into matrimony and parenthood. Nevertheless, how confusing for all — neither Bob nor Morgan could quit each other, so therefore, their friendship survived through the ups and downs of their lives.

TUESDAY, MARCH 5, 2019 – This is the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis’ production of “Nonsense and Beauty” as the Loretto-Hilton Center. ©Photo by Jerry Naunheim Jr.Another constant was longtime friend, the distinguished
writer J.R. Ackerley, wondrously portrayed by John Feltch. He brings more to
the urbane and glib character than tossing off bon mots and smirking about the
confines of society. He pined for more with Morgan, but that was not to be. He
befriends May, something neither expected, and his wit well-serves the
production.

Feltch, so good in “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” in
2015 (and St. Louis Theater Circle nominee), has a regal stature and is an
erudite sounding board throughout the show. In the movie, his character would
have been played by Clifton Webb or Vincent Price – or even James Mason.

As E.M. Forster’s battle-ax of a widowed mother, Lily, Donna
Weinsting astutely captures the grand dame’s controlling and cantankerous ways.

The entire ensemble is finely calibrated to show the fragility,
disappointment and deep love between the characters. The play’s bittersweet
nature is imparted in multiple ways.

Brian Sidney Bembridge’s minimal set, enhanced by his eloquent lighting design, allows smooth flow of the characters in conversation. Bembridge won the St. Louis Theater Circle Award for “The Royale.” Felia K. Davenport’s costumes defined the periods succinctly, and Rusty Wandall’s sound design provided nifty vintage touches. Leiber and Stoller’s “Is That All There Is?” was a wise choice to open and close the show.

Gordon, The Rep’s Associate Artistic Director, had nurtured
this project even before he further developed it as part of The Rep’s 2018
Ignite! Festival of New Plays, which he started after coming to the Rep. He
directed its first major public reading in 1996 at the Carnegie Mellon Showcase
of New Plays.

This is the sixth play from “Ignite!” to become a full-fledged
production, and this world premiere is a dandy – a lovingly crafted work of
substance, that means something, where the attention to detail is strong, and
the approach thoughtful.

The
Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents “Nonsense and Beauty” March 8 – 24 in
the Emerson Studio Theatre, 130 Edgar Road. For tickets or more information,
visit www.repstl.org. Box Office phone is
314-968-4925.