EMOTION ON THE CHALKBOARD IN MATH-MINDED 'PROOF'.Byline: Katherine Karlin Correspondent SET IN THE closed, introspective in·tro·spect intr.v. in·tro·spect·ed, in·tro·spect·ing, in·tro·spects To engage in introspection. [Latin intr community of Chicago mathematicians, David Auburn's Pulitzer Prize-winning play, ``Proof,'' is a perfect vehicle for the Asian- and Pacific-American actors of the East West Players. In this production, the cast, under the direction of Heidi Helen Davis, subvert the cliche of the Asian-American academic with characters who are alive with complexity and imagination. Not the least of these characters is the ramshackle house designed by Victoria Petrovich. Teetering between lived-in and chaotic, the home's sprawling, book-strewn porch reflects the troubled mind of its inhabitant INHABITANT. One who has his domicil in a place is an inhabitant of that place; one who has an actual fixed residence in a place. 2. A mere intention to remove to a place will not make a man an inhabitant of such place, although as a sign of such intention he . Catherine is a 25-year-old woman who has been caring for her father, a brilliant mathematician who spiraled into mental illness. Recently untethered Unattached to any data or power source by wire or fiber; in other words: wireless. Contrast with tethered. by his death, Catherine wonders if she is experiencing normal grief or suffering the early symptoms of her father's disease. Some of our most famous actresses have vied for this juicy role, and working against their ghosts is a daunting daunt tr.v. daunt·ed, daunt·ing, daunts To abate the courage of; discourage. See Synonyms at dismay. [Middle English daunten, from Old French danter, from Latin task. Kimiko Gelman is an acquired taste. With her outsize out·size n. 1. An unusual size, especially a very large size. 2. A garment of unusual size. adj. also out·sized Unusually large, weighty, or extensive. shrugs and scowls, Gelman broadcasts her mood changes (she is not helped by Dori Quan's costumes, which signal shifts of mental health by varying degrees of dishevelment). There's no question that she is working hard. But watching Gelman, we are aware of an actor plying her craft rather than a vulnerable young woman. On the other hand, David J David J. Haskins (b. April 24, 1957, in Northampton, England) is a British alternative rock musician. He was the bassist for the seminal gothic rock band Bauhaus. Life and work . Lee plays Hal, a former protege of Catherine's father, with natural charm and subtlety. We see Hal at two points in his life - as an eager doctoral student and as a young professor enduring the first glimmers of disillusion dis·il·lu·sion tr.v. dis·il·lu·sioned, dis·il·lu·sion·ing, dis·il·lu·sions To free or deprive of illusion. n. 1. The act of disenchanting. 2. The condition or fact of being disenchanted. - and the nuances in his performance are minute and organic, but they're there. A goofy, spontaneous gesture Lee executes is one of the unexpected pleasures of the evening. Dom Magwili plays Robert, Catherine's father, with warmth and authority, and he delivers the play's most gorgeous monologue with mesmerizing mes·mer·ize tr.v. mes·mer·ized, mes·mer·iz·ing, mes·mer·iz·es 1. To spellbind; enthrall: "He could mesmerize an audience by the sheer force of his presence" eccentricity. As Catherine's yuppified sister, Joanne Takahashi refuses to yield to stereotype, bringing compassion to a role that could easily be played for laughs. PROOF - Three stars Where: East West Players, 120 Judge John Aiso St., Los Angeles. When: 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday; through March 6. Tickets: $33 to $38. Call (213) 625-7000. In a nutshell: In spite of the lead's actorly performance, this is a beautiful staging of a top-drawer play. |
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