Striking depth of characterization is the hallmark of Moonstone Theatre Company’s exceptional staging of Proof, the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award–winning play by David Auburn.
The central characters are a father and daughter. Robert was a professor of mathematics at the University of Chicago who revolutionized three fields while in his 20s but gradually succumbed to mental illness. His daughter Catherine dropped out of college to look after Robert when his worsening condition required a fulltime caregiver.
Catherine has shown signs of having mathematical abilities like Robert’s, but she is worried she may have inherited his instability, too. Her older sister, Claire is even more worried. While visiting Chicago after Robert’s death, Claire urges Catherine to move to New York, where Claire lives and can watch for signs of trouble. Catherine’s choices are limited when Claire accepts the university’s offer to buy the family’s house near the campus.
The fourth character is Hal, one of Robert’s former students. He has been looking through the many notebooks Robert left behind in spite of Catherine’s assurance they contain nothing of value. Catherine and Hal grow attracted in the time they spend together.
Eventually a significant document is found in Robert’s desk. This notebook contains a groundbreaking proof with no indication of who wrote it. The proof’s authorship becomes the central question of the play.
Under Sharon Hunter’s astute direction, the superb Moonstone cast consistently conveys how much the characters care about one another and what they are feeling from moment to moment. The actors’ silent signals are as telling as the ones in the dialogue.
Summer Baer has the full measure of Catherine’s internal conflicts as well as her conflicts with others. Michael James Reed captures the acuity of Robert’s thinking when he is lucid and the pathos of his decline when his illness asserts itself.
Hal’s attractiveness to Catherine is completely understandable in Oliver Bacus’s portrayal, as are his reasons for doubting her when she expects his support. Julie Amuedo makes it clear how different Claire is from Catherine without undermining the credibility of Claire’s concern for her sister.
Dunsi Dai’s scenic design impressively incorporates an important plot point: the disrepair of the house where the action takes place. Michele Siler’s costumes, Michael Sullivan’s lighting, and Amanda Werre’s sound admirably enhance the play’s impact.
Proof continues through April 10 in the Strauss Black Box Theatre at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center, 210 East Monroe Avenue.
—Gerry Kowarsky
Photo by Phillip Hamer
