Proof is an elegantly written and superbly acted drama about a young woman trying to find her place in her family and in the world. It's the kind of play likely to show up for a future Cincinnati Playhouse season. Mary-Louise Parker plays Catherine, a young woman whose late father was a brilliant but mentally unstable professor of mathematics at the University of Chicago. Before his death, she cared for him in their rambling home near the campus. Now she's ready to get on with her life, but she fears following her father's unstable path.
Proof is a fine drama of human interaction, marred only slightly by a facile ending.
But it's not really all that troublesome, since the ride to get there is so satisfying. Proof is beautifully written, celebrating ideas and language without being too showy about either. We soon see she has depth and insights others have failed to appreciate. The cumulative effect of this portrait is a character who seeks to be opaque, but whose depth and complexity shine through. It's as fine an acting performance as I've seen onstage in a long time.