Proof

David Auburn
Sell a Door Theatre Company Ltd
Pleasance Courtyard

After the death of a mentally-ill mathematics professor, his daughter finds herself in a state of limbo, unsure what to do with her life, with constant pressure from both her highly-strung sister and her father's young colleague. Amongst his effects is found a brilliant radical proof about prime numbers, but was it penned by the man or his child?

David Auburn made a lot of ripples when he wrote Proof, and it's very much en vogue to perform it, as can be seen from the three different productions showing this year at the Fringe.

The problem is that as a piece it relies very much on correct casting and timing among the actors. Otherwise the plot doesn't entirely hold up. One trouble being that its hard to really care for this family as the situation seems odd. The elder sister's sudden conclusion that her sibling might be about to drop into insanity seems a leap out of the blue and not particularly reasonable or realistic one at that.

Furthermore, none of the characters, save the deceased father, seems particularly likeable, and as such it's hard to get invested in them. It's certainly not a bad production, and the actors work well together, however it's simply not enough to be good in a play like this, they have to be right for the roles as well.

Reviewer: Graeme Strachan

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