Review: PROOF Enlightens at 1st Stage in Tysons

David Auburn's Pulitzer Prize winning play Proof is about as well constructed a play as ever written. The simple story revolves around Catherine, a young woman on the eve of her 25th birthday who is dealing with the death of Robert, her mathematician father; the arrival of her precocious sister, Claire; and Hal, a young former PhD student of her father's coming to go through his writings.

The latest production is currently running at 1st Stage in Tysons, and yet again 1st Stage has assembled a well formulated piece of artistic (and mathematical) genius. As the play unfolds, Robert's death was a culmination in a long unspecified mental illness which made his mind, or "machine" as he refers to it, start to deteriorate. Catherine, a mathematician herself, has left school to care for him and she may be showing signs of his delusion as well. Mr. Auburn constructs a beautiful word play thought scientific allegory that perfectly encapsulates the emotion while not being too overly technical.

Artistic Director Alex Levy helms this production and has made very calculated decisions in all aspects and each is successful in the overall "proof" of Proof. As the gifted young woman, Katrina Clark is almost too perfect for the role. Out of the very expert cast, Ms. Clark was the only actress I was unfamiliar with and was enthralled by her intricately designed portrayal. Her physical insecurity and her attention to the text made the complex character simultaneously frustrating and sympathetic.

Sam Ludwig as Hal was just as intricate and the scenes between the two young actors were a delicate look at how two "beautiful minds" interact on a scientific and personal level. Liz Osborne as the uptight sister had a tough role to play. Claire may come off as the villain and the one unsympathetic character and fortunately, Ms. Osborne does fall into this trap. She really gets to the heart of Claire making decisions out of love for her sister. The final factor is this quadrant of actors is Ray Ficca as Robert. Mr. Ficca's performance as the father is very tender in his love of mathematics and more importantly his love of his daughter. There is one flash back scene where Catherine tells her father she leaving to go to a different university and the two actors do such a wonderful job of playing off the father-daughter dynamic so beautifully.

When you first enter the theater, you are greeted by Kathryn Kawecki's simple backyard set, but she uses a cacophony of papers seemingly trapped in the air as if some mad scientist threw them all up and they froze in time. This first visual image is a perfect introduction to the emotion of the play. The remainder of the Proof team lends their expertise to this stellar production: Deb Crerie and Kay Rzasa as props designer, Robbie Hayes as lighting designer, and Neil McFadden as sound designer.

Overall, another quality production from the expert team at 1st Stage and a beautiful look at how relationships are maintained and tested through mental illness.

Proof plays through May 8, 2016 at 1stStage in Tysons - 1524 Spring Hill Road, in McLean, VA, 22102.

Box Office: (703) 854-1856 or online.

Photo credit: Teresa Castracane