Majestic Theater
West Springfield, Massachusetts
www.majestictheater.com
{proof}
By David Auburn
January 6 - February 13, 2011
Reviewed by B. K. Grant
It usually takes many years and several creative attempts for a playwright to hang out his ‘success shingle’, but David Auburn did just that admirably with Proof, his second effort at the age of 32. Having been on tour nationally, this compelling character study has graciously landed in our own backyard here at the Majestic loaded with all the right stuff - drama, intrigue, humor and a touch of paranoia.
Upon entering the theater, this reviewer was amazed by the set design. Greg Trochlil, resident designer this season, and the talented Craig Milne outdid themselves. They have crafted a lovely bungalow with stucco façade adjoining a stone floor patio, complete with white wrought iron, wicker and recycle bins. Include the softly lit “interior” and outside lighting, a credit to the design technique of Daniel Rist, and the viewer feels as comfortable as if watching home movies in their easy chair. We soon discover the air of hominess and comfort belies the atmosphere of the play we are about to enjoy.
As the house lights dim, slightly ominous but melodious notes from cello and clarinet suggest the undercurrent of the main characters' fractured personalities. When Act One begins, Catherine, clad in yesterday’s rumpled garb, is having an unsettling conversation with her father, Robert. Amy Prothro* is superb as the reclusive, fragile Catherine, who, though depressed on her twenty-fifth birthday, manages, sans flute, to swig down a celebratory bottle of champagne. Her father, brilliantly played by Keith Langsdale*, encourages her to get a life, pursue her passion, while she still has the cranial capacity to do so. Although slightly pompous, he is concerned that his daughter will suffer from the same mental slippage he experienced in his late twenties. They talk openly about his malady and their passion for mathematics; he is convinced they are both very sane: “Crazy people don’t sit around wondering if they’re nuts!” The father/daughter exchange is so real, so natural, the viewer becomes hooked – until he calmly reminds her, ”I’m dead”. Only then do we begin to doubt Catherine’s sanity and understand this is the eve before Robert’s funeral.
A nerdy math instructor, former student and deep admirer of Robert, has been allowed to peruse the many notebooks in Robert's study. Hal, convincingly portrayed by Dustin Sleight, is kind enough, honest enough, to win over the audience. He is serious about his work, but doesn’t want to intrude on the family at this sad time. However, we do begin to wonder about his m.o. when he is caught red-handed with one of Robert’s notebooks in his coat; a stressed Catherine over-reacts and dials 911.
Claire is the complete opposite of her sister Catherine. Lea Oppedisano* nails Claire’s character: cool and composed, organized and impeccably dressed, she is ready and willing to take over in any situation. She is a self-assured realist who has decided Catherine must come back to New York with her where she can live in a nice apartment, possibly get a job and be “taken care of”. Catherine is infuriated by her insinuations and take-charge attitude, and resists her every attempt to dictate her life. The burial and reception eventually progresses with civility, Hal is invited back, and discussing mathematics with him rekindles Catherine’s interest. The next morning Catherine entrusts Hal with a key she kept on a chain close to her heart - a key to a locked drawer in her father’s desk.
The content of that drawer consists of one single notebook, filled not with a deranged man’s scribbling, but with the work of a genius: a proof concerning prime numbers. As Hal extols the find as a treasured piece of her father’s work, Catherine announces that she was the one who wrote the proof. This revelation sends Claire and Hal reeling in unbelievable amazement. In awe of her jaw-dropping claim, they both express serious doubt that Catherine was ever smart enough to have authored such a proof. Her insistence only escalates their disbelief and her own paranoia. Mayhem ensues.
Under the influence of Director Danny Eaton's magic, the energy with which these four performers portray their characters is incredible. Their intensity reveals the actors living their roles, not simply delivering their lines. The situations in which this somewhat dysfunctional group finds itself are life-like, and, exclusive of the ‘genius’ tag, may be representative of our own neighborhood. Recommended for mature audiences, Proof is posted in the ‘must see’ category – don’t miss it.
*The Actor appears through the courtesy of Actor's Equity Association, the Union of Professional Avctors and Stage Managers in the United States.
Playwright David Auburn received both a Pulitzer Prize and a Tony Award for Proof. His innovative adaptation of Langdon Mitchell's 1906 comedy reflecting high society’s attitude toward sex and divorce, The New York Idea, is now playing (January 6-February 13) off Broadway at the Lortel Theatre.
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