From Nashville Scene 02/13/2003:

Review: Unbeatable Formula
Great play, strong performances and excellent direction make for Tennessee Rep's best production yet under artistic director
David Grapes
By MARTIN BRADY

Ever since the arrival of artistic director David Grapes four years ago, Tennessee Repertory Theatre's productions have exhibited equal measures of growth, genuine quality and also some disappointment. But then there are those rare and wonderful times when an artistic entity meets its capacity to do its very best work. Such is the case right now with the Rep's staging of David Auburn's Proof, a tightly constructed puzzle-play that won every major dramatic writing award in 2001, including the Pulitzer Prize. The production is an entry in the company's Off-Broadway Series, and if the powers-that-be ever require justification for continuing this very important channel for mature and/or supposedly less commercial programming, then Proof is all the...uh...proof they need. Indeed, the play has proven such a success with local audiences that two matinees have been added to the show's run through this weekend.

The most prestigious of awards, the Pulitzer typically indicates a work of art that goes beyond mere temporal inspiration and obvious craftsmanship to say something broader about human existence. It's hard to state whether Proof exactly fills the bill on the latter point. But it is tremendously well crafted--engrossingly so--and its primary issues of family and the nature of madness are both timeless and contemporary. Auburn's world is a narrow one, yet his characters are likable and interesting, and their humanness is fresh and real enough.

The setting is modern-day Chicago, where 25-year-old Catherine mourns the death of her mathematician father, Robert. She has cared for him during the past four years, a time in which she passed up her own life plans and dealt not only with dad's physical needs but his schizophrenia. One of Robert's protégés, graduate student Hal, makes visits to the family home, his supposed interest being Robert's leftover notebooks. But Hal takes an interest in Catherine too, and romance blooms. Meanwhile, Catherine's sister, Claire, a bright, successful New York businesswoman, arrives for the funeral and to put family affairs in order. There is tension between the siblings, including long-overdue discussion about Catherine's personal sacrifice in caring for their dad.
Furthermore, oh-so realistic Claire becomes suspicious of Hal's motivations and also forces the very touchy issue of whether her sister may suffer from the family mental illness.

Hands down, this is the finest work director David Grapes has done at the Rep. He has assembled a first-rate cast, and he puts the actors seamlessly through their paces scene after scene. There isn't a moment when we're not exceedingly interested in the unfolding action, as the players emote with commitment, warmth and believability. Of particular note are the encounters between sisters--filled with equal parts love and animosity--and the moments of developing physicality between Catherine and Hal. The humor throughout is also well realized. In short, this production represents the happy collision of an excellent script and the artistic forces to make it come alive.

Blue-jean-clad Amy Tribbey well embodies the role of Catherine, a slender, earthy and sensitive creature capable of winning us over with her bright charm and, simultaneously, perplexing us with her raw confusion. As Claire, Anna Stone adds yet another solid performance to her growing list of Rep credits, which have previously included An Ideal Husband and The Miracle Worker. Stone is a strong presence, and she nicely balances her big-sister officiousness with genuine concern for Catherine's future. Another Rep favorite, Matt Chiorini, again displays his well-honed actorly skills along with his versatility of character in the role of Hal, making a smooth transition from apparently simple nice guy to serious suitor and confidant. Lastly, Dennis Carrig is marvelous as Robert. He appears in several scenes, either as flashback or as figment of Catherine's imagination, and offers a concisely etched portrait of tortured genius and deep fatherly affection.

The finishing touches come in the way of set designer Gary C. Hoff's tasteful rendering of the family patio, where all the action takes place, and Ellen Mandel's hip, jazzy incidental music. Nashvillians are urged to see Proof, as it shows just how wonderful local theater can be.

Proof - Presented by Tennessee Repertory Theatre
Through Feb. 16 at TPAC's Johnson Theater
Call 255-ARTS for ticket information