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Review: Allison Browning
RARELY is one truly moved by a piece of theatre. Even rarer that
the piece can strike a chord in its audience with its relevance
to everyday people.
In choosing Proof for his debut as director
(and new artistic director) with Black Swan,
Tom Gutteridge was definitely in a good way, but by combining
this masterfully written piece of text with a cast that worked
together so harmoniously, it was this that has made his production
quite the corker.
Set in Chicago, Proof presents the dynamics of a family dealing
with dementia. Robert (played with command and sensitivity by
George Shevtosv), a man in his 50's, is a celebrated mathematician
suffering from his mental degeneration.
Catherine (Hayley McElhinney), his younger daughter, appears
to have inherited his gift for mathematics, but older daughter,
Claire (Samantha Murray), who breezes in from New York, talking
about ‘down time’ and hair-care products, seems to
think her sister may have also inherited their father’s
dementia along with his talent.
When their father passes away, the girls must deal with the remnants
of their father’s ‘work’ in his last years,
in the form of a mass of notebooks, most of which contain the
ramblings of a man confused between his life and the mathematical
formulas (or proofs) he believes he has been working on.
Hal (Gibson Nolte), a mathematics lecturer and ex-student of
Robert's, has been working through these notebooks to ensure nothing
is missed, in case there is anything coherent within the books.
When Catherine shows him one particular notebook, Hal is in awe,
but it also causes further question of Catherine's credibility
and mental state by both Hal and Claire, who has been trying to
bring her back to New York to stay 'for her own good'.
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McElhinney plays Catherine with compelling
sensitivity and strength, creating a beautiful depth to this woman
dealing with a wealth of conflict in herself and around her.
Samantha Murray presents the confident, cliché-talking
Claire with great presence and perfect timing and, as a result,
she has the audience in stitches many times over.
There has been a beautiful contrast made between these sisters,
in both the writing and performances, allowing the audience to
relate to these people in a very real way.
Nolte plays the slightly geeky, yet 'on the ball' Hal. His performance
could have easily been a cliche of an All-American intellectual
goof ball, but it wasn't. Nolte's sensitivity in playing the substance
in the relationship between Hal and Catherine was very evident.
In a sweet scene of flirtation not quite going as planned, we
see Hal at Catherine's door, searching for the right thing to
say, and doing so with honest charm, he fails, but even so, maintains
his dignity and bounds out.
Shevtsov is truly moving and endearing as Robert, playing the
truth of a man who is not fully aware of how much his mind has
degenerated.
In a tear-jerker of a moment, we see Catherine read aloud what
Robert believes to be a ground-breaking proof that he is working
on. As we watch Robert slowly realise how far gone his mind is,
he begins to physically break down, and Catherine gently leads
him inside to get warm.
Shevtsov presents a gripping balance between Robert's intelligence
and his degenerative mind, which ensured Robert is first and foremost
played as a dignified man, and not a complete mad man.
Gutteridge has worked all the elements of the production to create
an unusual filmic quality to the show. This included the projection
of neuron-like figures onto the set, reflecting the mental state
of Robert. These additional elements (including subtle, yet effective
lighting and sound) worked in sync with the simplicity of the
set.
Proof is a moving story that has been transformed into an inspiring
piece of theatre by Gutteridge and his cast.
Its substance and consistency is uplifting and should make its
audiences proud of such outstanding local talent. |
