Why Theatre Intime began its season with "Proof," I haven't a clue. The American canon is full of plays that might be topical during a period of economic downturn, with stronger messages that might snap theatergoers out of the cultural malaise of the past decade. Instead, Theatre Intime is producing "Proof," a four-person play about Catherine, a famed mathematician's daughter grappling with inheriting his genius and madness while dealing with his death.
Director Gabriel Greenwood '12 attempts to justify his choice of script in the program, writing, " ‘Proof' is about art ... ‘Proof' is about people. ‘Proof' is about us." The vagueness in Greenwood's note only further demonstrates how weak a choice "Proof" was. What the production does show off, however, is that the Princeton theater community has several powerhouse performers.
Sean Fennel '10 and Max Rosmarin '11 dazzle in the roles of Robert, the deceased father who appears through flashbacks and hallucinations, and Hal, a Ph.D. student who is interested in Robert's mathematics --- and Robert's daughter, respectively. In his final scene, Fennel proves the power of his acting ability. Auburn's script sets the foundation for a mental collapse, but Fennel's eyes carry the moment: His full-out turn to the audience reveals a wild madness taking over him.
Rosmarin plays the dorky Hal with equal poise. Both he and Fennel demonstrate a simultaneous sensitivity to the comedic and the dramatic, which bleed into each other seamlessly. Jenna Devine '12, a newcomer to the Princeton stage, is also a delight to watch. She plays Catherine's concerned sister beautifully, revealing complex emotions with subtlety. Unfortunately, though, the weakest actor in the four-person ensemble is in every scene.
Arielle Sandor '12's portrayal of Catherine is heavily stylized and very formulaic. (Sandor is also a cartoonist for The Daily Princetonian.) She delivers half of her lines almost directly to the audience and the other half while rolling her eyes in an over-the-top manner. It seems that a bit too much of Catherine's independent character has slipped into Sandor's acting, which undercuts the realistic style of her fellow performers and leaves her grasping for audience approval in every line. She only shows anger through yelling, and her poor comedic delivery constantly reminds the audience that she is an actress in a theater playing a part. Her performance begins to redeem itself in the second act. After becoming accustomed to Sandor's style, I was able to look past it to appreciate Auburn's language. Ultimately, though, Auburn's words alone are not strong enough to save the production. Uninterested in the main character and apathetic toward plot twists along the way, I found myself questioning how "Proof" won the Pulitzer Prize in 2001.
Weak acting only exacerbates the fundamental textual flaw of "Proof": The most interesting character is not the main one, since the daughter is a weak Xerox of her multi-dimensional father. Even Hal's conflict between idolizing Robert and seducing his daughter is more interesting than Catherine's constant whining. Though Catherine is onstage in every scene, Auburn reserves his best writing for the male roles that control her. The script mentions the biases that exist in mathematics against women, but the piece seems to play into them rather than oppose them: A daughter only finds meaning by inheriting her father's wisdom and only gains confidence through the figure of a male suitor. Auburn's most powerful characters are male, and his Catherine seems one-dimensionally over-emotional. Relying too heavily on plot twists --- one in the first 15 minutes and another closing the first act --- and lacking specifics in order to appeal to a universal, mathematically illiterate crowd, the script ultimately leaves the audience feeling unfulfilled.
Moreover, the production values of "Proof" are mediocre. The lighting design of the production is weak: A magenta cyc is used to suggest winter and dark red to imply afternoon. Furthermore, the front of the stage is consistently overlit, even during scenes that are meant to occur at 1 a.m. The set design is simple, showing the back patio of a Chicago home. The awful shade of blue that covers the house, and the equally hideous white patio furniture, make us question the sanity of their owner long before his mind unwinds onstage.
Perhaps the set's minimalism is more a product of budget than of artistic choice. Little to no money, however, would have been required to avoid the 20- to 30-second silences that function as scene transitions, sucking the energy out of the piece. These might have been avoided with some sort of soundtrack --- the one blackout with a sound cue proves especially compelling --- but ultimately the director leaves us in the dark.
While its production of "Proof" is filled with talented actors, Theatre Intime has failed to demonstrate sensitivity to the contemporary needs of theater audiences. At the very least, it seems to have failed to attract student spectators: The 40-person Friday audience was full of gray heads.
Pros | Several strong performances by some of Princeton’s best actors.
Cons | Mediocre direction. Mediocre script.
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