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‘Proof’ positive

Paul Villabrille plays Hal and Wonder Russell stars as Catherine in Spokane Civic Theatre's production of
Staff writer
Paul Villabrille plays Hal and Wonder Russell stars as Catherine in Spokane Civic Theatre's production of

Many people know about “Proof” because of what you might call the Gwyneth Paltrow connection.

Paltrow played the main role of Catherine in London’s West End, and then in the 2005 film version co-starring Anthony Hopkins. She was nominated for a Golden Globe and may end up with an Oscar nod as well.

Yet before all of that, in 2000, David Auburn’s “Proof” was widely acclaimed as one of the best-written and best-acted off-Broadway plays in years. It went on to win the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize for best play. When it comes to drama, a show can’t boast a finer pedigree.

Beginning Friday, the Spokane Civic Theatre’s Firth Chew Studio Theatre tackles this thought-provoking and emotionally powerful story, under the direction of Marianne McLaughlin.

Catherine will be played by Wonder Russell, who turned in a sensitive performance of the role in a 2003 Express Theater Northwest production in Spokane.

The structure of the play is simple: Catherine has quit her studies and returned to the home of her father, a renowned mathematical genius beset by madness late in his life. After he is gone, she must try to make sense of her own life and his influence on it.

Meanwhile, she has a sister who wants her to come to New York and a young suitor who is shyly courting her. And layered over the top of this story is an exploration of higher mathematics and the provenance of an influential “proof.” (Don’t worry; an understanding of advanced mathematics is not essential.)

When it debuted in 2000 at the Manhattan Theater Club, critic Bruce Weber of The New York Times said it “turns the esoteric world of higher mathematics literally into back porch drama, one that is as accessible and compelling as a detective story.” He went on to call it “an exhilarating and assured new play.”

It later moved to Broadway, where Mary-Louise Parker (“The West Wing,” “Weeds”) played Catherine and won the Tony for Best Actress.

Joining Russell in the Civic’s cast is J.P. O’Shaughnessy as the father, Paul D. Villabrille as Hal and Rita O’Farrell as Claire.