February 14–21, 2002

arts picks|theater

Proof

In David Auburn’s Proof (winner of both the Pulitzer Prize and the Tony), 25-year-old Catherine and Robert, her father, are bound together by love, psychological instability and a gift for mathematics that sometimes seems to be a curse. The central theme of the play — family and its legacies — is familiar in American drama, but Auburn, a relative newcomer, has a gift for making it all seem fresh. Especially impressive is his stylish use of scientific themes (something of a recent theatrical vogue) not as a substitute for basic human connections, but as a way to help us decode them.

In Daniel Sullivan’s acclaimed New York production, Proof’ s undisputed star was the luminous Mary Louise Parker in the role of Catherine. When Sullivan’s production surfaces in Philadelphia, the power balance may shift a bit — Chelsea Altman takes over for Parker, while the superb and under-appreciated Robert Foxworth plays her father.

Whatever the casting, what will no doubt shine brightest is Proof itself. The play belongs to a long and noble tradition in our theater. And in Auburn, we can feel reassured that our tradition has found a new voice of compassion and talent.

—David Anthony Fox

Feb. 19-24, Merriam Theater, 250 S. Broad St., 215-336-1234.