Those who refuse to see a play they’ve already seen once often miss out on a delightful experience. A terrific example is the production of “Proof” that opened Thursday evening at Little Lake Theatre Company. David Auburn’s often funny, always compelling drama began a good solid run on Broadway in 2001 where it won a Tony for best play and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It came through Pittsburgh as a presentation of PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh series in 2002 and has been making appearances at regional and community theaters that includes a production at Red Barn Theatre in Hampton last summer. With each production, a different cast and director bring new personalities and interpretations to the play’s roles and cause issues and values to recede or move more prominently into audience awareness. The theme of “Proof” is the struggle of logic versus emotion — choosing between the competing evidence of head and heart. It’s also part mystery, although a whodunit of a very different sort. In the hands of this cast and director Art DeConciliis the emphasis is more on relationships than on mental stability. DeConciliis knows when to surge ahead and when to hold back and allow the performers a lingering moment of silence. The Little Lake Theatre production is endowed with a particularly strong cast headed by Richard Rauh and Rachel Downie as a father and daughter who share a love and talent for mathematics and possibly a tendency toward mental instability. Robert, a brilliant mathematician, made contributions to three fields of science in his early 20s but in later years declined into an insanity that had him believe aliens were sending him messages through the Dewey Decimal Codes on library books. His daughter, Catherine, put her own life and studies on hold to care for him and keep him from being institutionalized. Emotionally fragile, she fears that she may follow her father’s mental downward spiral. We meet Catherine on the eve of her father’s funeral as she awaits the arrival of her sister, Claire, from whom she is estranged, and the departure of Hal, one of her father’s former students who is going through the papers in her dad’s home office. At the core of the drama is Catherine’s tendency toward paranoia and overreaction that should keep us constantly off center, unsure whether her actions are rational or delusional. Downie is touchingly vulnerable in her growing relationship with Rob Gorman’s Hal, the endearingly nerdy, yet rock-steady math professor her father mentored. She also can be very funny in her satiric responses to Linda Levine as her well meaning but nevertheless irritating and managing sister, Claire. Levine’s very natural and likeable Claire allows us to side with her sensible, practical viewpoints even while we understand Catherine’s side. Rauh gives a very natural, relaxed performance as Robert, whom we see in flashbacks as the play moves forward and backward in time. Robert often is played with the detached remoteness and distraction that stereotypes mathematicians. But Rauh’s sensitive portrayal exhibits the emotions, affections and ardor that bring the character into focus and demonstrates the warm bond between this daughter and father. For those who have never seen “Proof,” the Little Lake Theatre Company’s production is a warm and well-crafted place to begin. Those already familiar with it will find that a different approach and perspective mines this always intriguing play to offer fresh and unexpected rewards. Additional Information:

Details

‘Proof’ Produced by: The Little Lake Theatre Company When: 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays through July 25 Admission: $12.50 and $14, $8 for age 15 and younger Where: Little Lake Theatre, 500 Lakeside Drive South, North Strabane, Washington County Details: (724) 745-6300

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