Proof (Artefact) – theatre review

Passion and genius are tested in a superb, intelligent and captivating creation from American playwright David Auburn. First staged on and off Broadway in 2000, Proof went on to win the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play, as well as numerous other accolades. Gwyneth Paltrow was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for her portrayal of the central character in the 2005 film version, directed by John Madden, which also featured Anthony Hopkins, Hope Davis and Jake Gyllenhaal. Now is your chance to see something special at the Alex Theatre.

Part of Proof’s engrossing storyline is one of the best cliffhanger endings to an act I have had the good fortune to see. It is the story of Catherine (Madeleine Jevic), a 25 year-old woman, who has spent her adult life caring for her father Robert (Roy Barker). He was a brilliant mathematician who had rewritten the mathematical theories in three different fields by his mid-20s, but who then suffered debilitating mental illness during much of the rest of his life. In his last few years Robert was only lucid for nine months. Catherine, an accomplished mathematician in the making in her own right, gave up her university studies to look after him. She is very much her father’s daughter and fears she might be plagued by the same cerebral challenges as beset her dad. As a result, she is desperate to stay in control.

Catherine clashes with her older sister Claire (Anna Burgess), whose mental acuity is not a patch on Catherine’s, but who, too, is concerned about her sibling’s state of mind. Claire has returned to the Chicago home that Catherine shared with their father to attend his funeral, determined to take Catherine back to New York with her. When Hal (Mark Yeates), a former PhD student of Robert’s, makes a startling discovery in one of the 103 notebooks that Roberts left behind, it is a game changer.

The cast is first rate, grasping the nuances of character required to elevate such a remarkable play to the heights it deserves. Jevic leads from the front, readily absorbing Catherine’s complexities – in turn apathetic, vulnerable, distant, angry and fearful. She is sharp as a tack, calling it as she sees it. Yeates’ Hal is enthusiastic and respectful, but nothing if not persistent. As Robert, Barker is effusive, giving the impression that he doesn’t suffer fools gladly and wants to make each moment count. Burgess is wonderful as Claire, a manipulator, whose persona could easily have played fourth fiddle if not for her light touch and dexterity.

Plaudits also go to director Emily O’Brien-Brown, who has ensured there is never a dull moment in this thoroughly engaging journey. She puts it well when she says: “Proof is about the legacy of a once brilliant man who is afflicted with a debilitating mental illness and his daughter’s journey to discover how much of his genius and/or madness she has inherited. At its core is “family, grief and four people at a turning point in their lives”.

Proof is intriguing throughout and introduces elements of humour and pathos. It is dramatic, mysterious, comedic and romantic – in short, absorbing and, at times, mesmerising.

The set design by Mark Yeates is simple but highly effective – the outside of a weatherboard house that has seen better days. This is the work of a new independent theatre company, Artefact, which is committed to producing important and influential theatre. All I can say is that if Proof is an indication of the calibre of what it intends to turn out, prepare to attend more of the “unmissable”. It is playing at the Alex Theatre in St Kilda until 19th June.

Company: Artefact Theatre Company
Venue: Alex Theatre, St Kilda, Melbourne
Dates: to 19 June 2016

Alex First