Review: In Backyard Renaissance Theatre’s tricky ‘Proof,’ genius and madness go hand in hand

calico 11/27/2023

Sometimes the line between genius and madness becomes blurred. That was case for the Nobel Prize-winning mathematician John Nash. It’s also true for Robert, the fictional mathematician in David Auburn’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 2000 play “Proof.”

Over the past two decades, “Proof” has been produced three times in San Diego County, including a new production that Backyard Renaissance Theatre opened Saturday at the Tenth Avenue Arts Center. It’s a gripping play that folds together elements of mystery, tragedy, family dysfunction and a touch of humor. The title refers to both the mathematical equations, or “proofs,” that Robert published in his younger, lucid years and to the work that Robert’s adult daughter, Catherine, must do to prove she has inherited her father’s genius.

The play begins in Robert’s ramshackle Chicago home, where he and Catherine are marking her 25th birthday with a bottle of cheap Champagne. Catherine is depressed and frustrated because she gave up her own life and studies five years earlier to become her father’s full-time caregiver. Now, Catherine is looking for a fresh start and she finds it, unexpectedly, with Robert’s nerdy grad student, Hal. There are some big and satisfying surprise twists in the story, but I won’t reveal them here.

Backyard Renaissance co-founder and producing director Anthony Methvin directs the production, which showcases some strong performances and moves swiftly through its two hours and 20 minutes, with intermission. Methvin builds realistic tension and chemistry between the characters, and he leans heavily — perhaps too heavily in places — into the play’s funnier moments.

Liliana Talwatte, who has been featured in three previous Backyard productions, is exceptional as Catherine. She’s fiery with the rage that always bubbling just under her character’s thin skin, and she’s also authentic as a woman who might have inherited more than her father’s math skills. Also a standout is Wendy Maples as Claire, Catherine’s older sister, who has escaped the burden of caring for their dad but hopes to make it up to Catherine by inviting her to come live with her in New York. The ever-subtle Maples can do more with a raised eyebrow and double-take than most actors in town, and her confrontations with Catherine feel very real.

Francis Gercke, Backyard’s artistic director, stars as Robert. He’s sweet and paternal with Talwatte and believable as a man fighting to hold on to the threads of his sanity by covering it up with humor and outbursts.

San Diego theater newcomer William Huffaker stars as Hal, the grad student who has been looking for new proofs among Robert’s 103 notebooks. Huffaker has good chemistry with Talwatte, and he brings sincerity and vulnerability to his character. But the broad physical humor he employs to transmit his character’s awkwardness is so over the top it becomes distracting.

The production features detailed scenery and props by Yi-Chien Lee, thoughtfully employed lighting by Curtis Mueller, sound by Matt Lescault-Wood and costumes by Jessica John Gercke.

Even after seeing “Proof” three times, I still find new things to love in this well-crafted drama, and this production is definitely worth seeing.