Lake Country Playhouse Presents David Auburn’s Proof, A Play!

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.

left to right: Michael Chobanoff, Anna Gumberg, and Keenan Ellis. Photo by James G Baker. Photo courtesy of the Lake Country Playhouse & Academy

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.

Michael Chobanoff and Anna Gumberg. Photo by James G Baker. Photo courtesy of the Lake Country Playhouse & Academy

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.

Anna Gumberg and Ariel Korducki. Photo by James G Baker. Photo courtesy of the Lake Country Playhouse & Academy

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.

Keenan Ellis and Anna Gumberg. Photo by James G Baker. Photo courtesy of the Lake Country Playhouse & Academy

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.

Anna Gumberg, Keenan Ellis, and Ariel Korducki. Photo by James G Baker. Photo courtesy of the Lake Country Playhouse & Academy

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.

Additional information here and ticket information here.

PSA: Jekyll & Hyde, The Musical @ Lake Country Playhouse:

Hartland, WI – February 27, 2025 – Lake Country Playhouse & Academy (LCPA) is proud to present Jekyll & Hyde, The Musical. Featuring a thrilling score by multi-Grammy and Tony-nominated composer Frank Wildhorn and double-Oscar and Grammy-winning lyricist Leslie Bricusse, this musical adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic novel has captivated audiences worldwide.

The epic struggle between good and evil comes to life on stage in this musical phenomenon. An evocative tale of two men – one, a doctor, passionate and romantic; the other, a terrifying madman – and two women – one, beautiful and trusting; the other, beautiful and trusting only herself – both women in love with the same man and both unaware of his dark secret. A devoted man of science, Dr. Henry Jekyll is driven to find a chemical breakthrough that can solve some of mankind’s most challenging medical dilemmas. Rebuffed by the powers that be, he decides to make himself the subject of his own experimental treatments, accidentally unleashing his inner demons along with the man that the world would come to know as Mr. Hyde.

“The creative elements will draw audiences into a world of unchecked ambition, duality, and the desperate quest for identity,” say directors Sandra Renick & Breanne Brennan. “This riveting and vocally stunning production will leave audiences breathless as they witness one man’s tragic descent into madness.”

Adrian Ford takes on the dual lead role, portraying both the passionate and ambitious Dr. Jekyll and the sinister Mr. Hyde. Alyssa Booton plays his devoted fiancée, Emma Carew, and Jaime Nyland is Lucy Harris, the fiery and independent main attraction at London’s seedy Red Rat Club. Another 21 local actors, many making their LCPA debut, complete the ensemble.

Co-directed by Renick and Brennan, Jekyll & Hyde continues their long-standing creative partnership, which dates back to 2013. Known for their bold, emotionally-rich storytelling, past collaborations include Sweeney Todd, Parade, The Bridges of Madison County, Assassins, and The Secret Garden. Their vision for Jekyll & Hyde emphasizes the gripping psychological intensity of the story, while delivering stunning visuals.

Rounding out the production team are vocal director Tracy Garon, who returns to LCPA after her acclaimed work on The Clockmaker’s Daughter in April 2024, along with pit director Jim Van Deusen, who leads the live five-person orchestra featuring Garon and Anne Van Deusen (keys), Tony Fenner (percussion), Cheryl Miracle (French horn), and Glen Quarrie (woodwinds). Choreography and fight direction is by Thom Cauley.

Set designer Chris Celestin and master carpenter Robert Perugini, in his LCP debut, will bring Victorian London to life with a simple yet compelling multi-purpose set, with props designer Lindsay Strean Hagood and scenic artist Anjl Rodee adding period detail. Award-winning costume designer Sarah Jo Martens highlights the upper and lower classes of London with rich textures and fabrics. Brennan, also serving as lighting and sound designer, creates an environment of light and dark, as well as haunting soundscapes, while intimacy director Jenn Dobby of Carroll University ensures the show’s most vulnerable moments are handled with authenticity and respect.

Jekyll & Hyde will run from March 28-April 13, 2025 at Lake Country Playhouse & Academy, 221 E. Capitol Drive, Hartland, WI  53029. Performances will be held on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings at 7:30 pm and Sunday afternoons at 2:00 pm. Tickets are $27. Group pricing is also available. Tickets can be purchased online at www.lakecountryplayhousewi.org.

Lake Country Players: The Dining Room: If Only The Table Could Tell Its Stories!

editor’s note: my mid-winter vacation prevented me from covering a
couple of things that I normally would have written about. And it also
meant that I didn’t see two important plays until their closing weekend,
The Milwaukee Chamber Theatre’s A Doll’s House and The Lake Country Players’ The Dining Room. So my apologies as you read my responses, these shows have already closed.

Playwright A. R. Gurney’s concept for The Dining Room is simply brilliant. The focus is on a formal dining room set in its formal home setting and tells a multitude of stories around American family, class, mores, culture, and history. From breakfasts to dinners to birthday parties to galas to the center of important conversations…we watch families interact, age, and move on. And characters abound…children to parents to grandparents to siblings to the hired help…we are privy to a cross section of activities enjoyed by upper middle class America in the early to mid 20th Century.

Now these activities sometime overlap as one end of the table will be deep in a post dinner discussion while the maid is setting a breakfast lay out at the other end…and characters overlap on entry and exit and activity in any number of ways through out. This of course creates a major headache for the director…but LCP Director Nancy Hurd made short work of it and presented a flowing ensemble moving freely and earnestly around the dining room(s) in question.

Hannah Craig, Noah Maguire, Mikael Hager, & Amy Wickland. Photo courtesy of the Lake Country Players. James Baker Jr photographer.

But no, it really wasn’t easy as there are only six in the cast list…three actors and three actresses…who each play nine characters each. And not just once and done, but many re-appear as time goes by or as the events being depicted change. So it is impossible here to pick out one particular actor for kudos or one particular character as a focal point of the action. But the ensemble here made it seem so casual and so easy, it was truly amazing!

And of course this also made headaches for the prop managers, costume staff, and stage manager as each character has to be unique in dress and style, each event had its own china or glassware or silver, and of course the choreography of rearranging the cast and the table/chairs has to be on time and smooth. The LCP made it work so incredibly well that every moment was a precious moment and the play flew by without any apparent effort.

Lindsay Strean Hagood, Amy Wickland, Paula Nordwig, & Hannah Craig. Photo courtesy of the Lake Country Players. James Baker Jr photographer.

CAST LIST:

ACTOR #1 – Mikael Hager
ACTOR #2 – Noah Maguire
ACTOR #3 – Amy Wickland
ACTRESS #1 – Lindsay Strean Hagood
ACTRESS #2 – Paula Nordwig
ACTRESS #3 – Hannah Craig

Once again, I was impressed and amazed by the quality of the work being done by the Lake Country Playhouse. Don’t miss their future events.