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New York City
April 2001

Math Play Adds Up To Fine Broadway: Proof

by Jan Aaron

David Auburn’s Proof, first a hit at the MTC and now on Broadway, proves, among other things, that an intelligent, perceptive drama can survive on The Great White Way.

In a nutshell: Catherine’s father, Robert, a world-famous mathematician, was mentally unstable, and she fears she’s heading in the same direction. Moping around the back porch of a rundown Chicago house, she spends her time like a female Hamlet, conjuring her father’s ghost for friendly chats, while upstairs, his protege, Hal, rummages through the deceased’s 100-plus messy notebooks seeking a new proof. Claire, the older sister, a successful New York executive arriving just in time for their father’s funeral, has ideas of her own about her sister’s stability and future.

As directed by Daniel Sullivan, the performances are a joy to behold. Catherine (Mary-Louise Parker) is dead-on perfect—funny and touching and the glue that binds the play together. Robert is played with touching dignity by Larry Bryggman. Ned Shenkman’s Hal, a sexy, funny nerd, is another of the show’s highlights.

The sisters must come to grips with old resentments. Catherine has given up everything to care for her demented dad while Claire, written—alas—almost as a caricature, but played with appropriate brittleness by Johanna Day, became a successful New York stockbroker. Now they confront the past and their father’s legacy.

The play unexpectedly becomes mystery when a Hal discovers a brilliant proof Catherine claims to have written. Is this her delusion or reality? They must decide. Ultimately, Catherine connects with Hal, a romance develops and the matter of the proof is resolved. This play adds up to a rich, satisfying experience.

Walter Kerr, 219 W. 48th St.; 239-6200. $24-69.

 

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All material is copyrighted and may not be printed without express consent of the publisher. © 2001.




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