Ed Begley Jr and Hayden Begley to Star in PROOF at the El Portal Theatre

Ed Begley Jr and Hayden Begley will star in PROOF written by David Auburn and directed by Stuart Rogers. PROOF will perform Thursday, July 23 at 8:00 pm; Friday, July 24 at 8:00 pm – (Special VIP “Proof for Parkinson’s – An Evening with Ed Begley Jr” benefit night, in collaboration with the Michael J. Fox Foundation); Saturday, July 25 at 8:00 pm; and Sunday, July 26 at 7:00 pm at the El Portal Theatre.

Parkinson's progression is unknown and unpredictable. Ten years after Ed's diagnosis, he and his daughter Hayden wanted to make sure that they were able to do a play together while everyone was still at the top of their game. David Auburn's story of a daughter dealing with memories of a father in decline was a perfect fit. Concord Theatricals agreed to generously support the project, with proceeds benefiting the Michael J. Fox Foundation.

In PROOF, Catherine has inherited her late father’s mathematical brilliance, but she is haunted by the fear that she might also share his debilitating mental illness.

Caught between a new-found connection with Hal, one of her father’s former students, and the reappearance of her sister, Claire, Catherine finds both her world and her mind growing increasingly unstable. Then Hal discovers a groundbreaking proof among the notebooks Catherine’s father left behind, and Catherine is forced to further question how much of her father’s genius or madness will she inherit.                                                             

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, David Auburn’s PROOF is a passionate, intelligent story about fathers and daughters, the nature of genius, and the power of love.  PROOF premiered at Manhattan Theatre Club in New York City on May 23, 2000. It was subsequently produced on Broadway at the Walter Kerr Theatre on October 24, 2000. Directed by Daniel Sullivan, the production featured Larry Bryggman, Mary-Louise Parker, Ben Shankman and Johanna Day. Subsequent productions have featured Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Anne Heche in the lead role of Catherine. In March 2026, PROOF returned to Broadway in a revival directed by Thomas Kail, starring Ayo Edebiri, Don Cheadle, Jin Ha and Kara Young.                  

The cast also features Kelly Sry and Kate Woods.

The Design Team for PROOF is as follows: Set Design by Joel Daavid; Lighting Design by Matt Richter; Sound Design by Cricket S. Myers; Costume Design by Alexandra Fatovich.

The Producers of PROOF are Betsy Zajko, Lexi Sloan and Sara Fenton.

Running time is two hours with a 10-minute intermission.

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