The Madison Repertory Theater continues their tradition of presenting award-winning theater with their first fall production, David Auburn's Pulitzer Prize and Tony award winning play \Proof."" Playing at the Isthmus Theater, located in the Madison Civic Center, 211 State St., ""Proof"" exemplifies the reason why the Rep's productions offer the best theater in Madison.
""Proof"" focuses on the character of Catherine, the daughter of a brilliant, but unstable math professor at the University of Chicago. We learn early on that for the past several years, Catherine has been taking care of her mentally ill father instead of going to school. The play is built on Catherine's struggle with the mathematical genius she inherited from her father and her growing fear that she also seems to have inherited his mental instability. This struggle is exacerbated by the fact that her overbearing sister Claire, insists that Catherine come back to New York with her, a prospect that Catherine resists and resents. The story becomes more than a complex psychological saga of a family in serious conflict when Hal, a student of the father, announces that he has discovered that the father has written a new mathematical proof. This announcement sets in motion another level of tension to the drama because it quickly becomes evident that it is not clear who really wrote the proof'Catherine or her Father. Through a combination of flashbacks, daydreams and present time, the rest of the play is devoted to uncovering this mystery.
Led by the intensely emotional performance of Ericka Kreutz (Catherine) this cast creates an intense experience for the audience as it gets drawn into both the psychodrama evolving between the characters, the internal psychological pain of each character and the empirical question of who wrote the mathematical proof. John Lordan, playing the role of Catherine's father Robert, ranges from the quirky genius his character once was to the crazed and helpless man he has become. Mckinley Carter (Claire) does a fine job as well. Robert Quinlan (Hal) the only nonequity actor in the play'meaning he's the only actor not in a union'captures the self-conscious nerdy math student of Hal perfectly. The chemistry between Quinlan and Kreutz sparkles. Yet, this story is about Catherine, and Kreutz grabs this role by the horns adding both humor and anger to capture her character's edgy demeanor. Overall the acting in this play is more than merely professional'it is inspired.
""Proof"" is one of the most impressive plays to be written in the past decade. It is an incredibly human story offering both humor and sadness. On the surface it is a story of an eccentric family, but really this story becomes a tale about coming of age. Showing at the Isthmus Playhouse in the Madison Civic Center, a terrific theater offering both intimacy and high quality staging, the play deserves the attention of the student body. Currently the Madison Repertory Theater is offering half price to patrons with student ID. Playing through Sept. 22, it is guaranteed that viewers will think about this play well beyond the date of its last performance.
