Proof at Perth Theatre

Jan 22 2010 by Alison Anderson, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

WELL-known faces of stage and screen appear in Perth Theatre’s production of David Auburn’s award- winning play Proof, which opens next Friday (January 29).

Gareth Thomas, who played Blake in Blake’s 7, last seen in Perth in Of Mice and Men, is joined by Neve McIntosh (Gormenghast, Bodies, Plunkett and Macleane). Perth and Pitlochry Theatre regular Helen Logan, and Ewan Donald, a former Dundee Rep Ensemble member, complete the cast in this gripping work directed by Horsecross Arts’ Ian Grieve.

First staged in 2001 and set in the current day, Proof combines elements of mystery and surprise with a compelling story and absorbing characters.

Events centre around 25-year-old Catherine (Neve McIntosh) whose adult life has been devoted to the love and care of her brilliant but unstable father Robert (Gareth Thomas). Following his death, the affections of a young man and the discovery of a mysterious mathematical proof draw Catherine into the most difficult problem of all: how much of her father’s madness – or genius – will she inherit?

The action all takes place on the porch of the family house in Chicago, allowing the audience to immerse themselves in the characters’ developing stories.

“Proof is a beautifully crafted domestic drama with a twist in the tale,”, said Ian Grieve,

Proof is at Perth Theatre until Saturday, February 13. Tickets and info on 01738 621031 or www.horsecross.co.uk.