Review: American Players Theatre's 'Proof' probes how we know what we know

Anya Van Wagtendonk, Isthmus, October 31, 2023

Please Note: This review contains spoilers surrounding the plot of Proof.

When it comes to the great mysteries of the universe — and to the quiet mysteries of human connection, achievement and desire — how can we ever know, truly, what we know?

That's the question at the heart of David Auburn's Proof, an excellent and intimate production of which is closing out the American Players Theatre's 2023 season this month, with performances through Nov. 19. (Tickets are still available, but are limited.)

The story centers around Catherine (Kelsey Brennan), freshly 25, facing down an unknown future after the death of her father, Robert (David Daniel). Catherine, we learn, dropped out of school to care for Robert, a world-renowned mathematician, after he became gripped by a mental illness that had him seeking patterns in the spines of library books.

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