I'll remember that (and not just because he got CFO)

If someone came to watch our rehearsal, they would probably be concerned with the amount of time I just spend watching Kai work, but is genuinely because Kai has a gift in so much that 5 months of watching and reworking his scenes can occur and yet he still is just as entertaining. I believe he embodies everything we are all trying to get out of this play.

 

A note which I have heard throughout this process is that I need to play more and Kai is living proof of what that means. He understands every single side of what's he saying and brings it to life with such animation and maturity; going from a guy getting all happy about Jurassic Park to a man with an idea for a shadow business that became the beating heart of Enron's underhand business. This man is one of duplicity and variation and Kai has such control when performing every aspect of the character. 

 

There is something about him that you are naturally drawn to, but more than that Kai works for the audiences attention- he employs a range of facial expression, has a handle on comedic timing that textures the play beautifully and he interacts with this characters with such personal investment, even if is just for 2 seconds. I spend all of 5 minutes onstage with Kai and we say all of 5 words directly to each other, but in the moments that he catches my eyes the reaction's he has are so sharp, with him being aware of all the little subtexts which makes me truly believe that he thinks, lives and breathes as this man. Even in all the photos of the production, in each one there is not a moment where he isn't alive behind the eyes or he's dropped his physicality- his performance and choices have translated beyond the 3 sided theatre we performed in; it is clear from the feedback that Kai is someone who spoke to the audience on such a deep level causing them to invest in this man wholeheartedly.

 

When I go to the theatre I don't want to work at believing the characters, that is there job and with Kai he performs with such effortless depth and knowledge that speaks of an actor beyond his years. Even by just watching and observing I believe there is much I can learn from his performance.