Proof opened on Broadway in 2000 and won the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and
Tony Award for Best Play. The play concerns Catherine, the daughter of Robert,
a recently deceased mathematical genius in his fifties and professor at the
University of Chicago, and her struggle with mathematical genius and mental
illness. Catherine had cared for her father through a lengthy mental illness.
Upon Robert's death, his ex-graduate student Hal discovers a paradigm-shifting
proof about prime numbers in Robert's office. The title refers both to that proof
and to the play's central question: Can Catherine prove the proof's authorship?
Along with demonstrating the proof's authenticity, the daughter also finds
herself in a relationship with 28-year-old Hal. Throughout, the play explores
Catherine's fear of following in her father's footsteps, both mathematically
and mentally and her desperate attempts to stay in control.
Act I
The play opens
with Catherine sitting alone in the backyard of her large, old house. Robert,
her father, approaches her with a bottle of champagne to celebrate her 25th
birthday. Catherine complains that she has not done any worthwhile work in the
field of mathematics, at least not to the same level as her father, a
well-known math genius. He reassures her that she can still do good work as
long as she stops lying in bed till all hours and wasting time reading
magazines. Catherine confesses she's worried about inheriting Robert's
inclination towards mental instability. He begins to comfort her but then
alludes to a "bad sign" when he points out that he is, in fact, dead.
He died a week ago. Robert disappears as Catherine dozes off. She awakens when
Hal, one of Robert's students, exits the house. He's been studying the hundreds
of notebooks Robert left behind after his death, looking for any work that
could be published. Catherine assures him that the notebooks are filled with
scribbles and nonsense since her father wrote them when he was at his most
delusional. Hal, attempting to flirt, invites her to go see his band later that
night. Catherine becomes suspicious of him and demands to see what's in his
backpack. She roots through it to find nothing but becomes infuriated when a
notebook falls out of Hal's jacket. She dials the police while accusing him of
trying to steal her father's work and pass it off as his own. He admits that he
was sneaking it away but only to give it back to her later as a birthday
present. He opens to a page that Robert wrote during a time when he was lucid.
In it, Robert writes it's a "good day" and thanks to Catherine for
taking care of him and expresses hope for the future. Hal leaves Catherine with
the notebook. She begins to cry until she hears police sirens.
The next day
Claire, Catherine's sister who just flew in from New York, is setting up a
large brunch for them in the backyard. Catherine enters and Claire tries to
goad her into idle chitchat as Catherine quietly seethes. Claire declares she's
getting married and invites Catherine to stay with her and her fiance in New
York. Catherine assures her she will come in January for the wedding, but
Claire keeps pressing her to go earlier. When Catherine demands to know why
Claire is inundating her with questions, Claire tells her the police came over
earlier to check in on Catherine. Catherine admits to calling the police the
previous night and tries to explain her altercation with Hal but only ends up
sounding unhinged to the dubious Claire. Hal appears and asks to continue his
work sorting the notebooks. Catherine lets him inside and Claire drops a hint
for Catherine to try flirting with Hal by offering a bagel. Catherine storms
into the house.
Later that night,
after the funeral, Claire holds a party in the house for her friends as well as
Hal and Robert's students. Catherine escapes to the porch where Hal finds her
and offers her a beer. Hal confesses that he's not so sure about his own
mathematical abilities since he considers math to be a "young man's
game". Catherine tries to reassure him with a quote from Gauss. Hal
responds by kissing her, much to Catherine's surprise. He apologizes for trying
to steal the notebook and she apologizes for calling the police. They kiss
again and Hal asks Catherine if she remembers meeting him years earlier. She
says she does and recalls she thought he was "not boring". They continue
to kiss.
The next morning
Catherine sits outside. Hal exits the house and tells her he would like to
spend the rest of the day with her. Catherine gives him a key to Robert's desk
and tells him to look inside. He goes into the house. A moment later, Claire
comes into the backyard, extremely hungover. Catherine, now in a good mood,
tries to make nice with Claire. Claire takes the opportunity to continue to
push Catherine to moving to New York. Catherine asks why she would move to New
York to which Claire confesses that she's selling the house. Catherine becomes
enraged at the idea and she accuses Claire of abandoning her to take care of
their sick father alone. Claire insists that the reason she did so was to keep
working to pay for the house as well as Catherine's education. Catherine
reveals that she had to quit school to tend to Robert and then accuses Claire
of trying to have her committed. Claire admits that she's researched doctors
and facilities for Catherine but insists that she was not planning on having
her committed. In the middle of the row, Hal appears clutching a notebook,
barely containing his excitement. He tells Claire that Catherine is in
possession of one of Robert's notebooks which holds a very important proof.
Claire asks Catherine where she found it and Catherine tells them she did not
find it. She wrote it.
Act II
We flashback to
years earlier, with Robert sitting in the backyard. Catherine tells him she
thinks he's getting better and he agrees. She blurts out that she's decided to
go to college in a couple months, funded by Claire, but promises she will be
only a short drive away if he were to need her again. Robert protests and
demands to know why she waited so long to tell him. When she points out that he
had not been well until recently and was, at one point, trying to decode
extraterrestrial messages in library books, he becomes upset. Hal interrupts,
much to his embarrassment, to present his final dissertation to Robert. Robert
assures him they will work out the problem points together, then suddenly
realizes he's forgotten Catherine's birthday. He apologizes and offers to take
her out to dinner. Catherine invites Hal along but he says he cannot go.
Catherine shows Hal out and Robert sits down to write a notebook entry,
declaring it to be a "good day".
We flash forward
to where Act I left off. Catherine declares she was the one who wrote the proof
and is met with incredulity by both Hal and her sister. The handwriting is very
much like Robert's and Hal questions Catherine's mathematical abilities given
that she only had a few months' education at Northwestern. Catherine tells him
that her real education was living with Robert. When Hal offers to show it to
other math experts to confirm the authenticity of the proof, Catherine refuses.
She tells Hal she trusted him and then accuses him of having no talent and
being past his prime. Hal storms off and Catherine begins to rip the notebook
apart. Claire gets it away from her and Catherine runs into the house.
Later, Hal
attempts to visit Catherine and apologize for his behavior. Claire stops him
and tells him Catherine will not talk to her, let alone Hal. Claire accuses him
of sleeping with Catherine despite her being unstable. Hal argues that he had
no bad intentions and insists Catherine is stronger than Claire thinks. He
requests to have the notebook to verify its authenticity with fellow
mathematicians. Claire gives it to him and tells him she's taking Catherine
with her to New York the next day. She expresses concern for Catherine's future
mental stability.
We flashback to
Robert in the backyard, sitting in the cold and writing furiously. Catherine
enters and reprimands him for sitting in the cold with no jacket. Robert tells
her it's too hot in the house and that the cold is better for helping him work.
Catherine is shocked that he's working again and he assures her that he's
sharper than ever. She's ecstatic that his previous mental instability has
passed and asks to see his work. He says he would love for her to take a look
and asks if she would like to take time off school to work with him. Before she
decides, Robert insists she look at his latest idea and thrusts a notebook into
her hands. Catherine glances at it and becomes quiet. She tells him they need
to go inside and Robert explodes with fury. He yells at her to read what he's
written. She reads aloud, a nonsensical, rambling paragraph about winter and
books and the cold. It's obvious that Robert's mind is deteriorating as it had
been before. Catherine begins to cry as Robert descends into confusion and
begins to shiver uncontrollably. Catherine tries to take him inside when he
asks her not to leave. She promises she will not.
We flash forward
to Claire in the backyard. Catherine enters with her suitcase. She asks Claire
about life in New York. Claire mentions potential schools or jobs for Catherine
but Catherine is quick to mock her by making ridiculous demands for a Freudian
psychiatrist who will listen as she blames all her problems on Claire. Claire
begins to cry and throws Catherine's plane ticket in front of her before
storming off. Hal enters and tells Catherine that the proof checks out and
apologizes for not believing her. Catherine tells him there's no proof that she
wrote it and he can claim it as his own if he wants. Hal tells her he believes
she's the one who wrote it and offers to read through it with her. Catherine
admits she knows she's like her father but is terrified of becoming like her
father. Hal reassures her that maybe she will be better. Catherine opens the
proof and begins to talk through it with Hal.
