Four good actors, a Chicago brick set, lovely venue - these are all the givens for this “Proof.”

The first couple of scenes survived some bumps and sputters as if the actors and their lines were negotiating a tempo or common protocol, like the old telephone modems’ audible handshaking. The appearance of the older sister clinched the handshaking; from then on the play was in sync and warmly engaging. While a few nice surprise twists were written in to invoke a silent audience gasp throughout, I wasn’t quite emotionally impacted until the “Father in the Cold” scene moved me to tears.

A math geek myself, and from Chicago yet, I enjoyed a few inside remarks. The “imaginary number” joke certainly got a giggle out of me. In fact, the play itself happily maintained a light sense of humor. There’s also an alluring little love story woven into this production which mainly focuses on the serious issues of care-taking and relatives with mental stability issues.

Two flashback scenes are used without warning, they work well, but the overall structure of the play feels a bit incomplete. Perhaps that’s because of the rather abrupt tone-changing ending. I felt an opportunity was missed to script a weightier conclusion.

As a side note, I was mildly distracted by the AC fan hum. I wonder if it’s possible to run the fan only during scene changes and intermissions. Despite this common venue problem, I still quite enjoy the Sierra Madre Theatre.

-- Books by Author/Illustrator Ross Anthony --