PROOF Previews

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 3/30/26 at 12:00am

Genius runs in the family.

A Broadway revival of David Auburn’s Proof starts up tomorrow (March 31), starring Ayo Edebiri and Don Cheadle in their Main Stem debuts as Catherine and Robert. Also featured in the cast are Kara Young and Jin Ha; Thomas Kail directs. Proof opens April 16 at the Booth Theatre and will run through July 19.

“Catherine, the brilliant but restless daughter of renowned mathematics professor Robert, is thrust into turmoil when a notebook containing a revelatory proof is discovered after his death. As debate erupts over its true authorship, Catherine must confront the power of legacy, and the cost of proving herself.”

[Who’s going?]

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 3/31/26 at 4:13pm

There is a 2-hour runtime listed on the play's website, including an intermission. 

[BoringBoredBoard40]

Posted: 3/31/26 at 7:43pm

No first preview gift. No windowcards at the merch stand.

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 3/31/26 at 11:27pm

How'd tonight go?

[GottaGetAGimmick420]

Posted: 3/31/26 at 11:35pm

reports from reddit say the major plus was kara young however tdf made some kind of mistake leaving lots of people outside without tickets

[BoringBoredBoard40]

Posted: 4/1/26 at 12:12am

Started at 8:05 ended about 10:15

This was...fine? It felt like a pretty straight forward production that MTC would have done. Nothing groundbreaking or reinventing the wheel, but entertaining and funny. 

Fair warning, Don Cheadle is maybe in the play for 15 minutes if that, which I think isn't great when he is above the title and on the banners ect 

Solid performances all around, Kara Young certainly is the best part which is maraculous considering she only came onboard as a replacement two weeks ago, a fifth TONY nomination is for sure in her future. Considering it is her Broadway debut Ayo Edebiri puts in good work and holds her own against Cheadle and Young.

Everyone signed after, Cheadle wasn't taken photos but signed, everyone else signed and took photos.

If you can get a rush ticket go see this, but it is certainly not worth paying $300+ dollars to see.

[Ensemble1698878795]

Posted: 4/1/26 at 12:43am

EDSOSLO858 said: "How'd tonight go?"

Was at final dress. It’s worth seeing. Kara Young is delivering as always. 

[TheGingerBreadMan]

Posted: 4/1/26 at 3:59am

I must be the only person on the face of earth who doesn’t think that Kara Young is as amazing as people make her seem. I’ve only seen her in Purpose, where I felt that she was competent in her role and did a fine job, but I did not understand where all the accolades were coming from. Perhaps if I had seen her in her other roles I would feel differently. 

[TheOtherOne2]

Posted: 4/1/26 at 7:15am

TheGingerBreadMan said: "I must be the only person on the face of earth who doesn’t think that Kara Young is as amazing as people make her seem. I’ve only seen her in Purpose, where I felt that she was competent in her role and did a fine job, but I did not understand where all the accolades were coming from. Perhaps if I had seen her in her other roles I would feel differently."

The issue isn't her.  She's been good in everything I've seen her in for around seven years now.  But when people need a new thing they go nuts.  I like to think she's getting a laugh out of all the externals and focusing on doing her work well.

Updated On: 4/1/26 at 07:15 AM

[quizking101]

Posted: 4/1/26 at 7:44am

TheGingerBreadMan said: "I must be the only person on the face of earth who doesn’t think that Kara Young is as amazing as people make her seem. I’ve only seen her in Purpose, where I felt that she was competent in her role and did a fine job, but I did not understand where all the accolades were coming from. Perhaps if I had seen her in her other roles I would feel differently."

She has a very extensive resume preceding that and an uncanny ability to play a wide variety of characters and a keen sense in understanding the material she is given. Her first Tony was for Purlie Victorious which, if you saw it live, was one of the comic performances of the decade that also maintained an appropriate balance of pathos during the latter half. It’s also incredibly rare that, in a world of star driven plays, you have someone who is a true homegrown talent who  has mastered straight plays (much like in the way that Audra did for musicals in the 90s).

Knowing her as I do, through all the accolades, she remains extremely humble and appreciative about it and is very happy to be working.

[Ensemble1698878795]

Posted: 4/1/26 at 7:48am

TheGingerBreadMan said: "I must be the only person on the face of earth who doesn’t think that Kara Young is as amazing as people make her seem. I’ve only seen her in Purpose, where I felt that she was competent in her role and did a fine job, but I did not understand where all the accolades were coming from. Perhaps if I had seen her in her other roles I would feel differently."

She doesn’t have to be amazing to you. Different strokes. Curious who you do find amazing? 

[gibsons2]

Posted: 4/1/26 at 8:40am

TheGingerBreadMan said: "I must be the only person on the face of earth who doesn’t think that Kara Young is as amazing as people make her seem. I’ve only seen her in Purpose, where I felt that she was competent in her role and did a fine job, but I did not understand where all the accolades were coming from. Perhaps if I had seen her in her other roles I would feel differently."

I'm one of Kara's fans who buys a ticket for pretty much anything she's in and think Purpose wasn't her best work. Competent is the correct word, but to me the Purpose was an ensemble piece with LaTanya Richardson-Jackson being a standout. Kara seems to have a warm, friendly, humble and hard working personality so she's earned quite a fandom because of who she is. 

 

[Auggie27]

Posted: 4/1/26 at 8:57am

Am I the only person who thought Young might've been stellar in the leading role? I realize that she joined late, under tight time constraints, and the part she acquired is a fine supporting one. But I can see the play ignite with her portrayal of the curious, brilliant heroine. 

[TheGingerBreadMan]

Posted: 4/1/26 at 12:14pm

Ensemble1698878795 said: She doesn’t have to be amazing to you. Different strokes. Curious who you do find amazing?"

Absolutely. I'm simply noting that the performance that I saw from her didn't feel worthy of the way that she's talked about as one of the best actresses in the business right now. Clearly there's a reason that she keeps getting cast, and my opinion is only based on Purpose. I believe that she likely showcased her talents more effectively in other shows such as Purlie Victorious and Cost Of Living. In any case, I wouldn't be surprised at all if she ends up with the supporting actress Tony for the third year in a row this year.

Since you asked, though, I did find Fina Strazza's performance in John Proctor Is The Villain to be remarkable, and certainly would've given her my vote in that category over Young.

[chrishuyen]

Posted: 4/1/26 at 1:30pm

I think Kara Young is one of the best young actresses working today but I also agree Purpose was her weakest role.  Not that she was bad in it by any means, but I was honestly shocked she won for the Tony because it wasn't a role that was as "impressive" as her others.  I'm excited to see her in Proof though and it's really wonderful she continues to do stage work year after year!

[MadsonMelo]

Posted: 4/1/26 at 1:56pm

Kara Young can break two records, right?

Most nominated actor in consecutive years (5) and most Tony wins for a performer in consecutive years (3).

The fact that she has done 5 Broadway shows in 5 consecutive seasons and can have 5 consecutive Tony noms is, honestly, wild.

[OhHiii]

Posted: 4/1/26 at 2:26pm

“Nothing groundbreaking or reinventing the wheel, but entertaining and funny.” 

Pretty spot on for most Tommy Kail productions as of late no? 

[TexanAddams18]

Posted: 4/1/26 at 2:28pm

OhHiii said: "“Nothing groundbreaking or reinventing the wheel, but entertaining and funny.”

Pretty spot on for most Tommy Kail productions as of late no?"

Find me someone who found Anna Christie entertaining lol. 

[blug]

Posted: 4/1/26 at 2:58pm

Auggie27 said: "Am I the only person who thought Young might've been stellar in the leading role? I realize that she joined late, under tight time constraints, and the part she acquired is a fine supporting one. But I can see the play ignite with her portrayal of the curious, brilliant heroine."

But they needed a star.  Personally, I have never seen Ayo Edibiri be anything other than charming and serviceable, but she has a huge following who are convinced she's the next Great Thespian. 

Updated On: 4/1/26 at 02:58 PM

[blaxx]

Posted: 4/1/26 at 11:11pm

Proof is also one of those shows that, once you know its secrets, it's hard to be impacted again. 

[Falsettolands]

Posted: 4/11/26 at 7:32am

I'm still collecting my thoughts from last night, but overall this is pretty bad.

Proof is a sensational play. It will always be a sensational play. This cast and production can never really mess that up entirely. The highlight is Young, but her performance still doesn't really work for a number of reasons outside of her control.

More soon.

Updated On: 4/11/26 at 07:32 AM

[quizking101]

Posted: 4/11/26 at 9:24am

I also was there last night.

I’m decidedly less negative about the production as a whole, but aside from Kara (who, reliably, nailed it and I’d be hard pressed to see how Samira would’ve fared), I left feeling a bit indifferent to the production as a whole. The text has a rich pedigree for sure, but it feels set up almost like a series of vignettes with extended transitions between them (paired with fancy lighting design on the outline of the house) than something fully cohered. If I’m seeing a character grappling with the possibility of a fate of a devastating mental decline, I feel like I’d want to see the staging get into their head a bit (the current DEATH OF A SALESMAN nails this) and this instead kept the lens on Catherine’s almost catatonic depression.

I’m not familiar with Edibiri’s body of work outside her voice work on BIG MOUTH, so this is really a clean slate introduction. I feel like she has small flickers of something there, but you could feel a certain uneasiness coming off of her performance. It feels almost like she has certain parts of the play nailed down (her scenes with Kara are actually some of her best moments), but not others and so it creates something erratic (outside of the context of the play). In a season of very big swings, it’s an admirable if underwhelming attempt.

Cheadle has less to work with, but I expected more with him. His approach at times feels more like a reading of the text as opposed to this ever-looming existential threat to his daughter’s sanity, which I feel is something you really have to drive home when you only appear in three scenes spaced very far out. He did have a good grip on the schizophrenic aspects of the character - and you could tell he was masking as hard as he could to maintain some normalcy in the face of decline. 

Jin Ha did some pretty good work as Hal, walking that very fine line between being earnest and curious, while also being kind of a dick. He is very calculated in the way he ingratiates himself into Catherine’s life and uses every opportunity to exploit that. I will say the “women can’t do math” trope is a bit dusty, even by 2001 standards, and so that didn’t necessarily endear me to Hal, but I can respect the hustle.

You already know what I’m going to say about Kara - she nailed it and was probably the biggest for to this production. She is a formidable scene partner that, as I noted before, brings out Edibiri’s best moments. She demonstrates genuine care for Catherine, but also acknowledges that she was never her father’s true pride and joy and so everything has a twinge of resentment because she also lost her father (and people have forgotten her grief) and now she has to pick up her sister’s pieces. It’s another score for Kara and definitely another Tony nomination on the shelf.

It’s possible that it could grow over time, but it’s not where it needs to be right now and certainly not at the prices they are asking

Updated On: 4/11/26 at 09:24 AM

[ElephantLoveMedley]

Posted: 4/15/26 at 11:21am

I thought this was just fine. The definition of "good, not great." The performances are all-around solid (Young and Ha as the standouts for me), but the production just never quite takes off.

I enjoyed the evening overall, but nothing here particularly wowed me.

Updated On: 4/15/26 at 11:21 AM

[MadsonMelo]

Posted: 4/15/26 at 3:40pm

I have this show for my last slot on the may trip but will wait on reviews and tony noms, may switch to something else.

[getatme]

Posted: 4/15/26 at 10:39pm

Caught this this afternoon and aside from at least one phone going off in every single scene, I overall quite enjoyed it.

The production is truly nothing special. Kail brings out no new colors, he has no take on the material, it is competently staged, the transitions are nice but don't amount to much. I think he was a poor match for the material (and probably most material, he's not much of a director, is he?) particularly given the cast. It would have been nice to see a director of color come at this material and perhaps find ways to make it say something about mental health/academics in communities of color.

But the performances are largely the reason this works.

I found Ayo to be quite good, she is still a bit inexperienced onstage and there are times she can pull back and the impact would probably be greater. But I found her compelling and she was able to balance the humor with the darkness inherent in the role. Her scenes with Kara Young are where the play really soars. I don't know if I sensed much sexual chemistry between her and Jin Ha, but their scenes together were well done as well.

Kara Young is a great actress and delivers a great performance. And yet, I think she was actually rather miscast. She has such an earthy, grounded energy to her that I don't know if I entirely bought her as the uptight, well-to-do sister. She acquits herself well because she knows how to find her way into the material, but at times I felt like I was watching 2 Catherines onstage vs. a Catherine and a Claire.

Jin Ha was a charming and adorable, very likable. His performance can lean a bit "theatre-y" at times, but in a way I found overall worked. 

Cheadle was good, but perhaps not great. I think there was a gravitas or intensity that was lacking. I longed to see glimpses of this mad genius, someone who perhaps lashed out or pushed his daughter in harsher ways. But Cheadle seemed intent on playing him as likable through and through. A valid read, but I wanted a few more layers to it.

Overall, it's a treat to see this play onstage, though I wish the production matched the work of the performers. Would love to see Edebiri continue doing theatre every once in a while.