Grief is one of the most confounding aspects of the human experience. To live is to experience loss, and yet, we are never truly prepared. This type of agony is always a detriment to mental health, even more so when someone is already predisposed to instability. In the first Broadway revival of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Auburn’s Tony Award-winning play, “Proof,” a young woman reels from her father’s death amid her own rapidly deteriorating mental health. Tormented by her own fears, doubted by her father’s peers, and infantilized by her older sister, Catherine (Ayo Edebiri in her Broadway debut) walks the line between self-confidence and deep distrust. The play has gripping themes and a thrilling cast. However, as the narrative presses forward, it becomes clear that Edebiri isn’t the best fit for the role.
Directed by Thomas Kail, “Proof” opens on the Southside of Chicago sometime in the 1990s. Catherine (Edebiri) is seen nodding off on the back porch of her family home. Her father, Robert (a commanding Don Cheadle in his Broadway debut), comes out to greet her. It’s Catherine’s 25th birthday. The mathematical genius is eager to celebrate his youngest daughter with a bottle of champagne and some math banter. Unfortunately, Catherine would rather wallow in her own depression. A brilliant mathematician in her own right, Catherine reflects on Robert’s mental illness and how it has eroded her life. His condition has driven him away from the halls of the University of Chicago. For years, he has been sequestered in their house, ranting, raving and writing nonsensical math equations in hundreds of notebooks. Exhausted by her plight, Catherine also wonders if Robert’s schizophrenia is hereditary. After all, though the two are conversing on her birthday, the audience learns that Robert died a week prior.
From there, amid a series of cleverly placed flashbacks, viewers learn more about Catherine and Robert’s father-daughter bond. The flashbacks reveal Robert’s descent into madness and the personal and professional sacrifices Catherine has made as a result. Things come to a head in the days leading up to the mathematician’s funeral. Hal (Jin Ha), one of Robert’s brightest students, begins looking through the professor’s notebooks. The young professor’s constant presence forces Catherine to confront her self-inflicted loneliness and her long-concealed mathematical mastery. When her Type A, but well-meaning older sister Claire (the ever-astounding Kara Young) arrives from New York to try to pull Catherine out of her despair, the things Catherine has long buried begin to surface. Edebiri and Young’s sisterly dynamic is one of the most authentic and witty aspects of the production.
The play is set in a single location, a roomy back porch designed by Teresa L. Williams. The ingenious use of light, led by Amada Zieve, effortlessly guides the audience through the varied time and seasonal changes explored in “Proof.” The scenic design and lighting shifts, incorporated into the house itself, are paired with original music by Kris Bowers. Together, they aid in “Proof’s” ever-changing tone and atmosphere.
As it did during its 2000 Broadway debut starring Mary-Louise Parker, and later in the 2005 film of the same name starring Gwyneth Paltrow, “Proof” continues to resonate. The play highlights the immense sacrifice of caregiving — a role often thrust upon women. It also explores sexism in academia and the terror of mental instability. Additionally, it depicts how familial legacy can shape people’s self-perception, capabilities and identities. Though dramatic at its core, this revival infuses a levity and sarcasm that alleviate much of its heaviness. While Edebiri is fantastic in the wittier sequences, her dramatic turns lack an effortless authenticity. Cheadle is sequestered mostly to the second act, which means Edebiri is forced to carry the majority of Act I alone. As a result, the production doesn’t feel as emotionally grounded as it should.
“Proof” remains a scintillating play. Its questions about hereditary mental illness, the truth, and who can be labeled a genius — especially with a Black woman at the center — continue to resonate. Cheadle, Young, and Ha deliver effortless portrayals. They anchor the story in time and space with dynamic, heartfelt performances. Yet, because Edebiri simply doesn’t work as the lead, this revival doesn’t quite knock it out of the park.
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