Catherine has spent years caring for her brilliant but unstable father, Robert. When he dies she has more than grief to deal with: There’s her estranged sister, Claire, and Hal, a former student of her father's who hopes to find valuable work in the 103 notebooks that Robert left behind. And a further problem: How much of her father’s madness – or genius – will Catherine inherit?
In the Pulitzer and Tony-winning Proof, David Auburn has fashioned an exhilarating and assured play – a subtle and gripping exploration of loss, guilt, discovery, instability and the elusive nature of truth.
Proof premiered at Manhattan Theatre Club in New York City on 23 May 2000. It was subsequently produced on Broadway at the Walter Kerr Theatre on 24 October 2000. Directed by Daniel Sullivan, the production featured Larry Bryggman, Mary-Louise Parker, Ben Shankman and Johanna Day. Subsequent productions have featured Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Anne Heche in the lead role of Catherine.