Theater Review: Proof

by Mark-Brian Sonna of of MBS Productions

I am starting to feel a bit like a Pollyanna raving about everything I’ve seen lately on stage here in the North Texas area. It so happens that there are some really good shows right now. Here’s another good review….

Proof by David Auburn has become quite famous. This successful Broadway play won the 2001 Pulitzer Prize and the Tony for Best Play and later was turned into a movie starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Anthony Hopkins. It has been performed numerous times throughout the metroplex. The story is about a young woman, Catherine, who has been saddled with taking care of her aging father through his mental illness. In the process she too seems to be losing her sanity, or is she? Is she going to become like her father? Her father is a professor of mathematics and a genius, is she also? She ends up having an affair with Hal, her father’s student. He sees her as normal while her sister Claire is having doubts. An important mathematical proof is discovered amongst her father’s belongings. Does this “proof” establish her sanity or insanity? This script works on multiple levels, and at times is non-linear, yet the entire experience of watching the play is satisfying.

ICT Mainstage is presenting quite a successful version of this script. Catherine Dubord as Catherine, Tracie Foster as Claire, Garrett Schenck as Robert, and Jordan Willis as Hal, turn in exceptional performances. This quartet is as strong a cast you could ask for to do this play. Mr. Schenck’s emotional breakdown in Act 2 is chill-inducing and deserving of an acting nomination when the time comes. Mr. Willis captures the awkwardness of initial attraction, he’s geeky and dashing at the same time. Ms. Foster plays Claire the “optimist” sister, yet she is able to imbue her character with a world weariness that proves she isn’t blind to the real world. Ms. Dubord in the title role takes the audience through the emotional journey and never once rings false.

As always ICT has impeccable production values. The lighting is jaw dropping: it’s effective and has a level of sensitivity that few lighting designers can capture. Sam Nance, as usual, does a superb job in this area. Paul Fiorella’s set was strikingly effective. I especially liked the use of yellow in the kitchen. The hue is what I call “Van Gogh yellow” for it is now associated with the manic insanity of this painter and I was able to recognize the color as such and it reflected the father’s insanity. The costuming by Barbara Kirksey was appropriately realistic, and the use of drab colors was good. I would have preferred a bit more color in some of the more emotional scenes then keeping the palette so cool, but she made a strong choice and it worked.

Where the play falters is in the direction. Dave Schmidt did a wonderful job with Pirates of Penzance for he captured the presentational style of that musical; here he fails to switch gears and give the play the naturalism required. The show felt very “blocked”. The actors made it seem as natural as possible, but the compositions felt forced and didn’t always work with the scene. He also needed to ensure that his actors didn’t fall into repetitive gesture mode. As an actor I can tell you I depend on a director to tell me “You’ve made that gesture too frequently now, it’s getting repetitive.” I’ve yet to meet an actor that is unable to self edit in this regard for it’s impossible to be objective when the process of acting is subjective. The director must intercede. The volume was a problem too. The space is large, the actors at times got too soft for the audience to hear without having us strain to do so. The fault doesn’t necessarily lie with the actors. The director sitting in the audience should have reminded them of it and drilled into them what speaking levels were necessary. These are four seasoned pros so they know how to project, a volume check on the part of the director would have done it. The program lists more of his acting credits then directorial credits, and its obvious he’s more of an actors director. The performances he elicited from this cast are great, so I’m not saying Mr. Schmidt lacks talent. His staging style seems more compatible for big splashy musicals, which this show is definitely not.

I seldom ever stay after a show to meet the cast but in this case I made a point of congratulating every performer. Their hard work paid off: This show is the proof.

Proof runs until June 14 and tickets can be purchased online or by calling 972-252-2787.