Review: On Theater: A powerful ‘Proof’ on Newport stage

By Tom Titus

Nov. 23, 2017 4 PM PT

The “proof” of a well-crafted play lies not solely in its accolades, such as Pulitzer prizes and Tony awards, but in the frequency with which subsequent versions surface at local playhouses.

David Auburn’s “Proof” meets all these standards, having achieved both the aforementioned honors and repeat visits to area theaters. Its current location is the Newport Theatre Arts Center in a powerful and involving production under the intensive direction of David Colley.

Despite its thematic mission of satiating a segment of society which can truly be labeled “math geeks,” Auburn’s drama contains an abundance of raw theatrical meat which is ravenously devoured in the compelling Newport staging. Even given audience familiarity after three or four previous viewings, this “Proof” stands tall and proud.

The story, for those yet unfamiliar, centers on a young Chicago woman, the daughter of a recently deceased math genius, who may have inherited both her father’s genius with mathematics and his tendency toward early dementia. The latter possibility surfaces in the opening scene as she engages in a lengthy conversation with her recently deceased dad.

At Newport, Nicole Powell brilliantly interprets this emotionally fragile character, who possesses exceptional math skills but has lost valuable college years by choosing to be her father’s caregiver. In Powell’s interpretation, both emotional strengths and weaknesses forge to the surface as she engages in conflicting conversations with a father, lover and sister.

Thom Gilbert strongly enacts her dad, both in spiritual and living flashback form. His character’s singular devotion to numerical issues is well documented, as is his deep concern for the daughter who idolizes him but also yearns to get on with her own life.

Disrupting this scenario is a young math professor hoping to gain insight from the old man’s conceptions, meticulously recorded in dozens of notebooks. Abel Garcia blends awkwardness and ardor into a captivating performance which heightens with the discovery of the young woman’s possible genius.

The older sister, a successful New York businesswoman who can convey both love and disdain in the same sentence, is the most realistic figure in the play and receives an elegant, dynamic portrayal from Jennifer Shea. We view Shea as an intruder from the “real world,” devoid of math geeks, and she manages the familial conflict splendidly.

The drama and trauma spill out on the back porch of the protagonist’s rundown Chicago home, which her sister has put up for sale. Andrew Otero has fashioned a most realistic set design which emphasizes the closed-in factor of the setting.

Augmented by Jackson Halphide’s low-key lighting and Brian Page’s soothing sound effects, this “Proof” drew a well-deserved standing ovation opening night and should elicit several more during its engagement at the Newport Theatre Arts Center.