Photos from Singapore & Los Angeles
The Theory of Everything
a play by Prince Gomolvilas
Synopsis
Seven Asian Americans (Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Thai) gather atop a Las Vegas wedding chapel every week for a UFO watch. When 65-year-old May spots a strange and colorful ship one night, the others decide to take turns keeping a 48-hour vigil in case the craft returns. The possibility of what one character calls a "miracle" forces everyone to confront personal issues that have previously been repressed. This vibrant and moving comedy explores the politics of race, identity and faith.
Acclaim
"This award-winning play explores the 'space' that binds and yet divides the term 'Asian American.' Written by Thai American Prince Gomolvilas and directed by Tim Dang, The Theory of Everything grapples with issues close to the heart of the playwright—placement and displacement, alienation and belonging, and gender and racial discrimination of ethnic 'aliens' in America. The play should be credited not only for its wit and humor but its attempts to engage with the issues of life and living."
"A play titled The Theory of Everything should think big and mess with a lot of ideas. In its easygoing way, Prince Gomolvilas' comedy is pleased to comply. Although confined to the rooftop of a Las Vegas wedding chapel, the characters—UFO watchers of varying Asian American extraction, waiting for a sign—reflect on the ineffables: love, faith, flunking out of law school, finding a way home."
"The play transcends cultural, gender, sexual, and generational boundaries, as eventually the many struggles evolve into a single quintessential human struggle to find an identity against the overwhelming backdrop of the universe."
"Refreshing! Allen Sermonia directs an ensemble of skilled professionals in DueEast Theatre Company’s inaugural production. Together they flout stereotypes to give Gomolvilas’s exploration of cultural values a universal scope."
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