The late 90s saw the rise of a particular sub-genre of film; one which explored ideas of the intersection of mathematical genius with asociality and mental illness, exemplified in 1997’s Good Will Hunting and 2001’s A Beautiful Mind.
While both those films were runaway successes, 2005’s Proof did not have the same impact at the box office, despite receiving reviews that praised the star performances of Gwyneth Paltrow and Anthony Hopkins and called the film “richer and deeper, simultaneously both funnier and more serious” than either of its smash hit predecessors.
However, the film’s source material, David Auburn’s play of the same name, won a raft of awards including three Tonys and a Pulitzer and ran for 917 performances on Broadway between 2000 and 2003.
The play now comes to life in Geelong, brought to the Woodbin Theatre by the Geelong Repertory Theatre Company (GRTC) this June-July.
GRTC’s production of Proof features an outstanding four-person cast led by Georgia Chara (Wentworth, Home and Away) as the tale’s protagonist Catherine, a brilliant young mathematician haunted by the mathematical genius and ultimate psychological degeneration of her father, Robert (David Mackay).
Together with Robert’s former student Hal (Andrew Smith), Catherine explores her father’s work, all the while battling her own mental instability with the support of her practical older sister Claire (Caitlin Mathieson).
GRTC president and Proof director Greg Shawcross, who has performed and directed with the company over the past 16 years, said he was thrilled to bring the work to Geelong audiences.
“The cast and production team have all been doing amazing work and I’m really excited to see how audiences are going to respond to the play and what they’re going to take away from it,” he said.
“Hopefully it really challenges their thinking about those things in the play like truth. When do you just believe someone and when do you need that proof before you accept something, and how can that impact relationships with people when you make those difficult choices?”
Proof is at the Woodbin Theatre from June 30-July 15. For tickets and more information visit geelongartscentre.org.au/whats-on/all-events/proof.
