Proof (play)

Proof
Written by	David Auburn
Characters	Catherine Robert Hal Claire
Date premiered	23 May 2000
Place premiered	Manhattan Theatre Club New York City, New York
Original language	English
Genre	Drama
Setting	University of Chicago Chicago, Illinois
IBDB profile
IOBDB profile

Proof is a play by David Auburn originally produced by the Manhattan Theatre Club on 23 May 2000. It then went to Broadway on 24 October 2000 at the Walter Kerr Theatre, and was directed by Daniel J. Sullivan, with Mary-Louise Parker as Catherine, Larry Bryggman as Robert, Ben Shenkman as Hal, and Johanna Day as Claire. The entire original Broadway cast received Tony nominations for their performances, with Parker winning. Later during the Broadway run, Jennifer Jason Leigh (September 13, 2001 to June 30, 2002) and Anne Heche took over the lead role. Josh Hamilton and Neil Patrick Harris subsequently played the role of Hal.

The play won the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Tony Award for Best Play.

Plot

The play concerns Catherine, the daughter of Robert, a recently deceased mathematical genius in his fifties and professor at the University of Chicago, and her struggle with mathematical genius and mental illness. Catherine had cared for her father through a lengthy mental illness. Upon Robert's death, his ex-graduate student Hal discovers a paradigm-shifting proof about prime numbers in Robert's office. The title refers both to that proof and to the play's central question: Can Catherine prove the proof's authorship? Along with demonstrating the proof's authenticity, the daughter also finds herself in a relationship with 28-year-old Hal. Throughout, the play explores Catherine's fear of following in her father's footsteps, both mathematically and mentally and her desperate attempts to stay in control.

Film adaptation

Main article: Proof (2005 film)

Gwyneth Paltrow played Catherine in the 2005 film Proof, which was directed by John Madden. Along with Paltrow, it starred Anthony Hopkins, Hope Davis, and Jake Gyllenhaal. The film version added more characters (in minor supporting roles), whereas the play has only four.

Awards and nominations

Awards

• 2001 Drama Desk Award for Best New Play
• 2001 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Play
• 2001 New York Drama Critics' Circle Best Play
• 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Drama
• 2001 Tony Award for Best Play

Further reading

• Auburn, David (2001). Proof: A Play. London: Faber and Faber. pp. 96. ISBN 0571199976. 

External links

• Proof at the Internet Broadway Database
• Proof at the Internet off-Broadway Database
• Proof at the Internet Movie Database