I know that I have previously mentioned here at AIP, that David Auburn’s Proof is my favorite play of the 21st Century. It is passionate, involved, and complete storytelling with a sometimes fragile nature. Having seen two amazing productions of it in the past (Milwaukee Rep and American Players Theatre) and having read it a number of times, it still completely draws me in. And I was very pleased that director Naomi Tiefel was once again able to fully engage me with her cast and the actions on that little back porch in Chicago.
And I have also previously mentioned that I thought Lake Country Playhouse would be an ideal stage for this intimate play. I was happily right.
There are four characters here and Auburn has drawn them in such a way that we feel empathy for all four of them despite getting angry with them at times. Robert is an esteemed mathematician and professor at the University of Chicago. He is famous for a number of mathematical proofs from his early career. And he is well respected by his students until his career is cut short by mental illness. He has two daughters, Catherine and Claire. The younger daughter, Catherine, has inherited Robert’s math skills and she fears she will also inherit his mental health issues. Catherine is estranged from her older sister, Claire, a currency trader who lives in New York. Claire is in Chicago for Roberts funeral. And Hal, a former student of Roberts and now a professor at UC, is concerned about Robert’s legacy it would seems, jumps in and adds to the turmoil of this sad weekend.
So yes, this is a play about mathematicians and mathematics and academia…there are a few very funny math and math nerd jokes here. But the real story lies in the dynamics between Robert and Catherine, between Catherine and Claire, and Catherine and Hal. So there are some very human emotions and moments around family, mental health, expectations and aspirations, and love. I am just amazed at how Auburn ties it all together.
From the above, you can see that Catherine is the main focus in the story. And Anna Gumberg is a phenomenal, fully believable Catherine. Gumberg clearly embodies a loving and devoted daughter despite setting aside her own goals in order to be Robert’s caregiver. Gumberg shows us the strength that that requires and (spoiler alert) when her father relapses her facial expressions tell us a story in itself, as they move from joy to despair to resignation as she realizes what is happening. Catherine is a difficult role but Gumberg feels it and we feel it. Other scenes with Hal show us her range. Gumberg has to move from untrusting to flirty to disgusted with Hal in a relatively short period. And there is always the underlying concern that not only has she inherited her father’s genius but his mental illness as well. Gumberg feels that sadness too.
Michael Chobanoff is a convincing Robert. From the gentle and loving father in our opening scene with Catherine to the flashback with Catherine and Hal as the energetic professor and math whiz, Chobanoff is Robert. And a very human and humorous Robert it is. But his best scenes are during his relapse as Chobanoff gives us the frenetic Robert insistently writing in his notebook as the machinery whirls until his conversation with Catherine makes it apparent that he’s slipped off the rails again. The conflict and drama Chobanoff brings to this scene is very compelling.
Claire has returned to Chicago for Robert’s funeral. And Ariel Korducki gives us a Claire in charge, and clearly a woman who expects to be in charge. Besides the funeral she has also swooped in to save Catherine! But Korducki can show us Claire’s human side too as she is interested in Catherine’s well-being and does indulge a bit too much with the math students following the funeral. But Korducki also brings us Claire’s too sure focus that initially ignores Catherine’s feelings and then ultimately betrays her. Not a sibling dynamic to celebrate.
Hal has his own focus, looking for important math ideas in the 103 notebooks that Robert has left behind in his study. Keenan Ellis shows us two reasons why he is interested in doing this…partly to preserve Robert’s legacy but also because the work could be published and the mathematician who discovers it will be famous too. Aside from that Ellis is also the nerd who doesn’t quite have what we might consider normal social skills although he does know how to woo Catherine. And although in the end he redeems himself, he too betrays Catherine. You’ll have to see the play to understand that but it is a telling condemnation of gender expectations.
Proof continues at the Lake Country Playhouse and Academy at 221 E Capitol Drive in Hartland, WI, through May 23, 2025. The runtime is 120 minutes plus a 15 minute intermission.
RATING: PG-13+
Audience advisory: Play covers heavy emotional topics dealing with mental illness, grief, and the pressure of academic achievement.