Looking to ‘Louie’ to Find Answers

A self-described second-generation Russian Jewish American redhead stranded in a world of “no-nose straight-haired blonds,” Stacie Chaiken explores rootlessness and alienation via personal history in “Looking for Louie,” her solo performance piece at Pacific Resident Theatre.

Teetering precariously between drama and documentary, Chaiken traces links among Jewish folklore, family skeletons and her own nomadic lifestyle, which all converge in the mysterious figure of her immigrant great-grandfather, who disappeared in 1907 and was never spoken of again.

Chaiken’s principal challenge is getting an audience not only to understand but share her private resonance with this shadowy black sheep, and the holes in her psyche he came to represent. By the time she plays a home video showing her grandfather’s tortured confession about his father’s unforgivable sin, the piece packs an emotional wallop. A particularly elegant finale transcends personal boundaries to embrace an ancient Hebrew remedy to heal the rent fabric of relationships caused by others’ transgressions.

“This may sound like self-help,” Chaiken admits, “but it’s really the Talmud.”

The buildup still needs work, however. Chaiken’s initial presentation is sometimes hesitant, even apologetic. While this embodiment of classic Jewish guilt may reinforce a sense of character, unless a monologuist exudes absolute conviction that a story is worth telling, an audience is bound to question it. In this case, the question is ultimately answered in the affirmative, but it wasn’t necessary to raise it in the first place.

* “Looking for Louie,” Pacific Resident Theatre, 707 Venice Blvd., Venice. Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 3 p.m. Ends Sept. 10. $14. (310) 822-8392. Running time: 1 hour, 20 minutes.