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PROOF of talent
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Crisp dialogue and fine performances were the highpoints of the play "Proof", staged at The Park
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Energetic show all the way: Ruchika Chanana, Aruna Zachariah and Sameer Sheik in "Proof" - Pic by S. R. Raghunathan
THE ARTISTS Repertory Theatre production of David Auburn's play "Proof", directed ably by Arundhati Raja and performed at The Park, was characterised by some moments of real dramatic introspection, crisp dialogue delivery and good performances.
"Proof," which won the 2001 Pulitzer Prize and the Tony Award for best play, was a runaway Broadway hit. Its movie version should premier this year.
The plot unfolded on the premise of two sisters finding something among their father's papers, presumably left for them, after his death.
What fleshed it out was that this "something" was a mathematical theory and, therefore, intellectual property, whose rights of ownership were interestingly questioned through the dramatic process.
To an extent, this is also what let an otherwise sincere performance down. Enough mathematics was incorporated into the dialogue to create an atmosphere involving a genius.
But in the effort to maintain a balance, vital information was left out and the audience did not get to know what the mathematical theory was, except that it involved neuro-mathematics.
Yet the `proof' of the play certainly was in the watching. Aruna Zachariah's portrayal of Cathy, the daughter who lived with the neurotic, mathematical genius of a father as he went through the painful breakdown of his `machinery' to ultimately become a deluded waste, convincingly conveyed the pathos and agony of the favourite child whose painful duty it is to watch a beloved parent die. Only, at times, it could have been better emoted.
Jagdish Raja as the father, genius researcher and teacher shone in parts. His controlled performance in scenes where he spoke about Chicago and its bookshops in winter and the moment, when he felt "I am in touch with it again" were pure poetry.
Well executed
Among the best performances in the play, the parts involving him and Cathy were well executed. Their conflicts were convincing unlike the shrillness that often marred the confrontations with Clare [the estranged sister].
Ruchika Chanana as Clare, the successful sister whose support of the family is not so obvious like Cathy's, fitted the role well and turned in a fine performance.
Sameer Sheik as Harold Dobbs, did well as the student and later, teacher who knew his research was trivial. The background score merits a special mention.
Soothing and never jarring it contributed substantially to make "Proof" an energetic stage presentation.
PAROMITA PAIN
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