Stacie Chaiken had a great-grandfather of whom no one in her family would speak. The only thing her Grandfather Irving would say about his own father was "I think his name was Louie."
From that Chaiken set out on a search for her unmentionable relation, a journey she turned into Looking for Louie, her one-woman show running Aug. 11-Sept. 3 at the Pacific Resident Theatre. She will later bring the piece to New York City's Lower East Side Tenement Museum Dec. 13-17.
As Chaiken's grandfather approached 96, she finally convinced him to talk about her infamous relative, who she had been fascinated with since age six when she first started making up stories about "Louie." A history of her Russian-Jewish family in America, Louie is a comedy about that family secret and the immigrant's journey from the old world into the new.
Chaiken performed on Broadway in Lincoln Center's Abe Lincoln in Illinois. Other credits include the Off-Broadway premieres of David Greenspan's Principia and Jack, the Los Angeles Arcadia at the Mark Taper Forum and the Academy Award nominated short film, "Claire." (Please note that Chaiken is not related to director Joseph Chaikin (note spelling difference).)
Tickets are $14. The Pacific Resident Theatre is located at 707 Venice Boulevard. For reservations, call (310) 822-8392. Looking for Louie is on the web at http://www.lookingforlouie.com. -- By Christine Ehren