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"Proof" by David Auburn
At Walter Kerr Theatre Reviewed by Carolyn Albert for Theatre Reviews
Limited
Can a set affect the success of a play? "Proof" might offer one type of proof of the power of place when the Off-Broadway sensation last season becomes an even bigger hit on Broadway. The happy surprise is because successful transfers are unusual for small plays and "Proof" is small: it takes place on one set - the back porch of a deteriorating house in Chicago, and there are but four actors in the cast. The usual reason given for failing transfers has been "Loss of intimacy"; that is, a play that felt close and familiar in a small theater seemed lost and distant in a large one. Therefore, a major risk was taken when the passel of producers listed below joined Manhattan Theatre Club for the expensive (but potentially more profitable) jump to a larger theater.
Try to analyze why one play survives the leap while
another crashes into the ravine. Certainly the directing (Daniel Sullivan)
and performances are easy
guesses, but I could look at my list of failed transfers and notice similar fine acting and direction. In the case of "Proof," I'd give heavy credit to the set. The original theater was not tiny; its broad stage
easily held the wide set
we see at the Kerr, a run down porch with a shadowy glimpse of the house within, where a staircase winds upstairs. Therefore, the creative vision of set designer John Lee Beatty did not have to be distorted. Mr. Beatty provided a visual external that echoes
the drama. The set grounds
the play, adding to its substance. As the story of "Proof" unravels, that porch becomes more and more important as a silent subtext to the theme. It is unkempt, but not to be discarded. An eye-catching, pretty set would have been artistically wrong for "Proof." Down front, almost at center stage, sits a dried up plant that could have died from lack of care. Beatty's porch is solid, with sturdy brick columns at either end to support the old house, suggesting a strong foundation - even for the uncared-for fa ade we see. "Proof" is a lustrous drama about the nature of
genius. The show has been
compared to "Copenhagen" - I think erroneously - solely because their central characters work in the sciences. I think it closer in theme to "Amadeus" because the focal characters of each are part of a fascinating fringe of humanity, the genius who may lack basic social skills. Playwright David Auburn tells us an engrossing
mystery that holds our
attention and, when it's solved, joins the pieces together cleanly without any need to glaze over gaps or holes. Of course, as in any good story, the fun is in letting it develop or open up as the author intended, so this review shouldn't spoil the pleasure or give away secrets. Mary-Louise Parker is Catherine, younger daughter
of Robert (Larry Bryggman),
a renown math professor who has just died after eight or ten long years of suffering from an undefined mental illness that left him childlike and unable to focus - except for one brief remission period four years earlier. During that time, he was able to return to work at the University of Chicago assuming duties such as advising doctoral candidates. Catherine has lived with him and cared for him all that time. She tried to attend college when he was in remission, but chose to drop out to care for him when his illness returned. Catherine's older sister Claire (Johanna Day) has
returned for their father's
funeral. Claire plans to sell the large drafty house. The university is eager to buy it (however, we wonder why Claire has title since she has been gone for ten years). Although Clare appears to have great concern for Catherine, we dislike her because she is also insensitive and manipulative. All the time her father was ill, she worked in New York, willing to help financially with Catherine's living expenses at school but unwilling to share in his care. Now she wants to swoop in and scoop Catherine off to New York - perhaps to go to school, or, as Catherine surmises, to be hospitalized for mental illness. Catherine still talks to her father, dead or not, and seems to accept Claire's verdict that she needs help. Hal (Ben Shenkman) was one of the students Robert
advised. Now, after his
mentor's death, he is going through his beloved professor's hundreds of notebooks. Catherine insists that her father's illness took the form of compulsive writing in black composition notebooks, so they are filled with nothing more than disjointed scrawls. Yet, Hal is hoping to find something that reflects Robert's youthful mathematical creativity. He admits it's not an entirely unselfish pursuit, that whoever discovered and published something new and brilliant would have his choice of any teaching position in the country. Auburn skillfully presents Catherine as an
emotional innocent who leaps into
a relationship with Hal, trusting him eagerly - hopefully and naively. In eight scenes that include flashbacks to significant earlier events, playwright Auburn shows, rather than tells, how genius can edge frighteningly close to insanity. Mary-Louise Parker portrays Catherine with an easy
slovenliness, careless and
casual about food, her clothing, and her hair. Her tremulous voice and tendency to stare open-mouthed at the world add definition to the characterization of Catherine. Johanna Day survives the almost villainous Claire,
rendering her sisterly and
caring. Larry Bryggman is particularly moving as Robert, painfully aware of the illness that burdons his daughter, yet pathetically hopeful of being productive again. Ben Shenkman has grown into the role of Hal, showing more confidence, so that he offers an even surer haven for the insecure Catherine. The play is affecting and quite charming, smoothly orchestrated by the much-awarded director, Daniel Sullivan. Costumes by Jess Goldstein are especially defining for Catherine and Claire. Pat Collins' lighting is softly supportive. John Gromada's sound keeps speeches audible and his original music subtly telegraphs events. The author of "Proof, " David Auburn, won the year
2000 Kesselring Prize, an
award given to new playwrights whose work has not been widely produced. "Proof" should change that. Although he has substantial playwriting credits and awards, Auburn may have been speaking for himself or for others who have not yet been acknowledged. "Proof" suggests that brilliance can flower even in the most surprising places. Sometimes, it's a matter of faith or trust to accept genius, even when certain proof is still lacking. "PROOF"
Produced by Manhattan Theatre Club: Lynne Meadow,
Artistic Director; Barry
Grove, Executive Producer; Roger Berlind, Carole Shorenstein Hays, Jujamcyn Theaters, Ostar Enterprises, Daryl Roth, and Stuart Thompson. CAST: Larry Bryggman, Johanna Day, Mary-Louise
Parker, Ben Shenkman.
Theater: Walter Kerr Theatre, 219 West 48th
Street.
Schedule: Tuesday - Saturday at 8, Wednesday &
Saturday at 2, Sunday at 3.
Tickets: $24-69 thru TeleCharge: (212) 239-6200 or
online at
www.ProofonBroadway.com or by clicking on "Purchase Tickets" above. Audience: Adolescent and up. No nudity or
discernible profanity. No
complexities of math or science, just good theater. |