Every family has its own familiar cast of characters: the outspoken eccentric, the independent rebel and the nurturing caregiver. Catherine's family is no exception. She is the pretty, twenty-something brilliant recluse, her sister Claire the somewhat overpowering control freak and Robert, her father, once an internationally known math professor is...well, dead. His spirit, however, still haunts Catherine, at one time his caregiver and devoted daughter, who doesn't seem to have fallen far from the family tree.
Robert went "bughouse" in his later years and Catherine feels she is treading the same path. Enter an outsider—a young graduate student, Hal, who worships Robert and stumbles upon a proof that, if accurate, will be a history-making solution to a myriad proofs. But one question remains: Who is its real author?
Playwright David Auburn has led his characters on an exciting exploration of family and self as each confronts both himself and each other, bouncing back and forth between the past and the present, always seeking the truth, the proof. This search makes for provocative theater and lends an unlikely air of mystery and romance to the story. Is Catherine as brilliant as Robert? Is she the author of the newly-discovered proof or did her father compose it? Is Hal really interested in Catherine for her own sake or is he simply using her to get to Robert's undiscovered genius?
It is to director Gregory Gerhard's credit that this eloquent story is told so simply and effectively. One might imagine that a play based in the world of mathematics would be sterile, dull and calculated. But the sheer humanity of its characters almost transcends the plot and magnetically draws the audience into the depths of their personalities. On the tiny stage, set designer Bryan Pray has created a realistic back porch of an older Hyde Park home that is both effective and makes wise use of the limited space.
Leah Wagner is perfectly cast as Catherine. Possessing both a vulnerability and a strength that often seem at odds with each other, the gentle manner in which she plays the scenes with her father, sometimes a memory of the past, sometimes a persistent spirit in the present, endear her to the audience. Yet she fights passionately for what Catherine knows to be the truth.
Jason Daniels plays Hal with a fresh earnestness that makes us (and Catherine) sometimes question his sincerity. Jacqueline Grandt's Claire is the older sister we all either have known or seen, and this talented actress uses her face and body to speak volumes when she isn't even saying word. Only Brian Parry's Robert seems a bit out of sync with the rest of the cast. He often comes across as "acting," while the other actors inhabit their characters so realistically and completely.
"Proof" is a wonderfully realized production that is both dramatic but also has its share of humorous moments—much as any real family gathering.
"Proof" runs through Dec. 10 at the Actors Workshop Theatre, 1044 W. Bryn Mawr, Chicago. Shows 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday; 3 p.m. Sunday; $25, $20 student & seniors; call (773) 728-7529.
