Chicago Tribune
- Recommended
"...Puzzles in this piece are layered onto puzzles and then an uber-puzzle, creating the show's ultimate climax and, along the way, empowering a lot of people who get to stand up and offer their solutions. (I was never among them.) I've always noticed how this kind of brain shows up without regard to age, gender, race or any other demographic division and the master-solvers in my audiences certainly proved that point."
Chicago Sun Times
- Highly Recommended
"...These three obsessions - puzzles, magic, history - weave together in "The Enigmatist" to create a show that works extremely well because of its intricate - and carefully concealed - construction, and, even more importantly, because it feels throughout so thoroughly authentic to who he is."
Chicago Reader
- Highly Recommended
"...Where he stands out is in the frame he uses for his act. Kwong's illusions are built around the story of Elizebeth and William Friedman, cryptologists whose work helped turn the tide of WWII. Their lives were fascinating, and a near-perfect anchor for the feats of philology and prestidigitation Kwong deploys."
Chicago Stage and Screen
- Highly Recommended
"...What Kwong does most masterfully is seemingly to make chaos and randomness meaningful and comprehensible, as if all of the information flowing around us is not only containable but connects us in a way we will come to understand. This is a work that will have you thinking, shaking cobwebs out of your prefrontal cortex and bringing back all that stuff you studied in school. This is a show to bring your tween to, you know, the one who thinks they know it all, and watch their mind be blown."
Around The Town Chicago
- Highly Recommended
"... An evening at The Enigmatist is nothing short of an Experience! From the pre-show ‘puzzle-rama’ in Chicago Shakespeare’s Skyline Room, (with the best view in Chicago), to David Kwong’s awesome combination of wordsmanship, code-breaking, mentalism and sleight of hand in CST’s Theater Upstairs, the entire evening was a blast!"
The Fourth Walsh
- Highly Recommended
"...Throughout the show, Kwong will introduce visual or audio clues to a puzzle. He’ll ask audience members to stand when they know the answer. Each time, I’m mystified not only by the puzzle but also the audience members that stand up…and some fairly quickly. I was in a constant state of what-am-I-looking-at or what-am-I-listening-to? Although I proudly could name one tune, it wasn’t even a real clue to the answer. I spent a lot of the show being dumbfounded… emphasis on dumb."
Third Coast Review
- Highly Recommended
"...Theatergoers to The Enigmatist, which had its first run in Los Angeles and is now playing at Chicago Shakespeare Theater through June 30, are advised to arrive at least 30 minutes early to take part in the “puzzle garden.” There are four puzzles around the walls of the lobby that range in difficulty. By the time we were supposed to enter the theater, my companion and I were excitedly racing to solve the last one. The thrill of participating in the magic yourself is an essential part of Kwong’s interactive show."
Chicago On Stage
- Highly Recommended
"...Chances are pretty good you’ve never seen anything quite like The Enigmatist. David Kwong, playwright, performer, and crossword puzzle writer for the New York Times–hence the review’s title, clever, eh?–has designed a theatrical experience that falls somewhere close to a magic show, but with elements of stage play, chemistry class, and puzzle, all on a set that looks a little like a library escape room."
NewCity Chicago
- Highly Recommended
"...Magician and “cruciverbalist” (crossword puzzle constructor) David Kwong brings his show “The Enigmatist” to Chicago following sold-out runs in New York, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. At a snappy ninety-five minutes in length, this brainy, joyful show is a breathless delight, sure to enchant fans of puzzles, magic and storytelling."
