PROOF
Reviewed by Tony Annicone
The second show of the 18th season for Renaissance City Theatre Inc., the producing entity for the Granite Theatre is the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winning “Proof” by David Auburn. The show opened on Broadway on October 24, 2000 and ran for 917 performances. The movie version starring Anthony Hopkins and Gwenyth Paltrow opened in September, 2005. “Proof” can be described as a mystery, a romantic comedy and an exploration of mental illness. The play centers around an enigmatic young woman, Catherine, on the eve of her 25th birthday. She has been overshadowed by her brilliant mathematician father, Robert, who has been mentally ill for years, and of whom she has cared for. After his sudden death, Catherine must come to terms with following in her father’s footsteps, and with the fear that she might have inherited his illness.
As she struggles with the impending visit of her overbearing sister, Claire, from New York, a former student of her father named Hal appears on the scene. The discovery of a notebook with a major mathematical proof in her father’s desk further complicates the dilemma. Audience members need not be put off by the fear of math because the show is about the universal themes of love, compassion and dignity. It is also about the joy, the conflict, misunderstanding and miscommunication between those we love most and often understand the least. Director David Jepson does a stellar job, winning his hard working cast a thunderous ovation at the curtain call.
David blocks the show marvelously on the gorgeous outside house set that he designed and Jimmy Pollitt and crew built. It’s so realistic looking. He lets the tension build between the characters and infuses them with the energy to keep the audience’s interest all night long. Ricci Mann as Catherine, tackles the difficult role of a young woman seeming on the verge of a nervous breakdown after caring for her mentally ill father. She gives Catherine a sardonic sense of humor to deal with her difficult sister, as well as with the memory of her father, and with a mathematician who has more than math on his mind. Ricci gives a terrific performance in this role while handling the dramatic moments splendidly. A very impressive and poignant scene is with her father who has been well for nine months. During this scene she shivers from the cold and has an emotional meltdown, winning the sympathy of the audience at her brilliant portrayal. Nick Perry does a wonderful job as Hal, Catherine’s suitor and Robert’s former student who is now a math professor. Nick handles the dramatic and comic moments with ease. One of his many comic moments include trying to impress Catherine by telling her that he belongs to a rock group comprised of math majors and their song is called Imaginary number- i. Hal has many dramatic moments with Catherine with the last one being the most impressive. It is where he tells her the truth about the proof and persuades her that even though she inherited her father’s genius for math, it doesn’t mean she also inherited his mental illness.
David Jepson does double duty in the show by playing Catherine’s father, too. He first appears at Catherine’s 25th birthday, where they have comic banter with each other until the audience realizes he’s already dead. David’s other comic scene takes place in Act 2 where you flashback to four years earlier when Robert’s illness was in remission. They argue whether they should have pasta for supper again. The final scene between father and daughter is a powerful and poignant one when Catherine realizing he’s descending into madness again. David masterfully handles this man’s nervous breakdown scene. Michele Mania plays Claire, the bitchy, hard hearted sister. She makes the audience unsure of Claire’s motives in the first act by trying to placate her overwrought sister but by the second act it becomes clearer that Claire is trying to control every move Catherine makes. Michele delivers the goods as this unlikable character who looks down on her younger sister’s strange behavior. David and the author, David Auburn gives each of the four performers their moment to shine in this show and the cast takes full advantage of them. So for an award winning show that really lives up to its hype, be sure to catch “Proof” at the Renaissance City Theatre Inc. in Westerly before time runs out.
PROOF (27 April to 12 May)
Renaissance Theatre Company Inc., Granite Theatre, 1 Granite Street, Westerly, RI
1(401)596-2341 or www.granitetheatre.com
