Faint praise

[avanta7]

I gave the curtain speech for Proof last night, which meant I got up before curtain and asked people to turn off cell phones and begged them for money. I also stayed for the show. I was only vaguely familiar with the story, knowing it had something to do with mathematics. It's a nice story, if a trifle blue (I'm still shocked whenever I hear the F-word in a community theater production): a young woman and her older sister try to figure out what to do with themselves after the death of their father, a brilliant mathematician. The four actors did well enough, although I thought the young woman playing Katherine (the lead) a little weak. Her nose was bright red by the last scene, so she may have not felt well or been having allergy problems. Heaven knows that theater is dusty enough. There are some funny lines, and some places intended to be tender and moving. But I never felt attached or connected enough to the characters to feel genuinely moved; I don't think the actors were attached enough to their characters to move me. Scenes had two emotions: anger and pathos, with nothing in-between, which tells me it's a direction problem. Good actors do what the director tells them; excellent actors transcend their direction. These actors were good. They needed to be excellent.

Comments

[greedyreader.livejournal.com]

I love Proof. I saw it with Mary Louis Parker starring in the lead role.

[zugenia.livejournal.com]

I saw the Mary Louise Parker production, too, and it absolutely blew my mind. She's definitely an excellent actor.

[avanta7.livejournal.com]

I can just see her in the lead. I bet she was fabulous.

[mojosmom.livejournal.com]

Proof is an awesome play! (I am not biased by the fact that it is set in my neighborhood, really, I'm not!) Sorry the production wasn't better. I saw it directed by the always brilliant Chuck Smith, with Ora Jones, of whom I am a great fan, as older sister, Claire.

Here's a review from the Maroon (the University of Chicago student newspaper): http://maroon.uchicago.edu/voices/articles/2004/04/16/strong_production_re.php

[avanta7.livejournal.com]

I liked the play a great deal, and would love seeing it again, well-done this time. This production isn't all bad. The woman playing Claire was perfect, "Hal" was just a trifle over-eager, "Robert" was perhaps a little too manic in spots. The performance really fell down with "Katherine". A shame. I'm hoping the reason is she wasn't feeling well, not that she isn't capable of the role.