By Chi Tung
The latest barnburner to come out of Lodestone Theater productions, Solve for X is all kinds of whip-whirling fun. And boy, does that dialogue crackle. We take you behind the scenes...
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Cast Interviews
Judy Soo Hoo
Jeff Liu
Roger Fan
Emily Liu
Kipp Shiotani
Kelvin Han Yee
In Judy Soo Hoo�s Solve for X, the variable in question is undoubtedly the X-factor: the sometimes illogical, always indeterminable element that governs the laws of attraction. Hannah (Elaine Kao), a saucy elementary school math teacher (soak in the irony) falls for Theo (Kelvin Han Yee), a tea tycoon (yes, apparently they do exist) who�s double her age; maybe it�s his wet-blanket routine -- wife perished in a freak hunting accident; hasn�t opened up to anyone since -- perhaps it�s his delusions of grandeur and buttoned-up gentility that begs to be, ahem, dressed down -- whatever it is, it�s gotta be X. But the real catch of the day is Theo�s son Henry (Roger Fan in fine -- emphasis on fine -- form), poster-boy for the overeducated prep-with-a-heart-of-gold; recently dumped by prude-turned-tart Sally (Emily Liu), he�s in love with the idea of being in love. So when he finds out that his soon-to-be-stepmom is a babe�well, let�s just say that simple arithmetic is prominently involved.
Unfortunately, there�s that old prickly saying about the sins of the father. And sure enough, Henry turns out be the same bad egg as his father -- emotionally distant, allergic to commitment and obsessed with carving out his tea-purveyor legacy. Which puts our Hannah in quite a bind. Stay -- and hope that true love conquers all -- or go -- and leave the Oedipal mayhem behind for good.
Not as easy as it sounds -- and the narrative structure of Solve for X does little to simplify the equation. Serpentine twists abound, flying in the face of logic, time and set limitations. Remember, this is theater we�re talking about, which means no CGI hijinks or jaw-dropping jump cuts to quicken the dramatic pulse. There is, however, no shortage of the racy, associative-word-imagery dialogue that Mamet-ians drool over. As for the performances, they�re uniformly top-shelf, with Kao, Fan and Han Yee completing a love triangle as indelible as it is heartbreaking. Solve for X isn�t flawless; its extended finales sag from melodramatic overload and at times, the characters seem stuck in self-destructive autopilot mode. These are, however, minor quibbles. Solve for X is gonzo theater -- all conviction, ballast and borderline hoity-toitiness. Brace yourself for impact.
Published: Thursday, April 14, 2005
