Proof was solid but lacked narrative tension
I've been thinking a lot about this play recently and why it got blanked completely at the Tonys. I thought it was easygoing and enjoyable by itself, but I think a lot of voters must have been comparing it to the original production. Despite some strong performances, I do think there were problems with the pacing and lack of narrative tensions. It runs 2 hour with an intermission, might've been better served as a 90 min play.
Ayo certainly didn't embarrass herself in her Broadway debut and has a presence on stage but there are problems with the direction of her performance and possibly even the casting of her in that role. For me two major things don't really come into play in terms of the narrative tension. You never get the sense that:
- >!She didn't write the proof!<
- >!She might be losing her mind!<
As audience members, the whole theater >!assumed correctly that she did write the proof when it was first introduced. So there's really nowhere to go. There's no mystery. Within the confines of the story she had already shown she was pretty smart and capable and it certainly would make sense given that we are constantly reminded of her father's deteriorating mental health. Also it hurts that we never see her father's brilliance we are simply just told that he's brilliant but his mind has been slipping!<.
Also we don't ever get the sense that she >!herself is going insane or that her mental health is at risk. In fact it makes sense that she's thinking of her father since he just died. Why is no one else heartbroken or in mourning? So there goes another piece of tension out the window. Ayo plays her as realistic as anyone in that situation would be. I think the play's intention is to have her be maniac and unreliable when she's really just grounded in her grief and remarkable bright, witty, and human. !<The casting of her is interesting tho because she looks and plays very young. She could easily play a teenager or freshman in college.
So while she was compelling and gave a good performance, I think those two factors hurt the play's narrative tension that we should be feeling. Don Cheadle is good but I wished his character was more of a presence. His appearances are brief and we don't ever feel the weight of his character. Also I feel as though Cheadle doesn't have a strong hold on who his character is and his relationship with his daughter.
Kara Young and Jin Ha were both really strong. I would've nominated Kara Young for her 5th consecutive Tony. She in many ways was the plays highlight, her scenes with Ayo were electric.