As one of several new theaters emerging this year in the Quad-City – at last count, theater fans, there are 29 theater and dance groups producing and presenting shows within a 75-mile radius – the folks from Harrison Hilltop Theatre are the newest kids on the block.
The organization is so new, in fact, that its inaugural production will not even play at the Harrison Hilltop venue. The new theater isn’t quite ready yet, but after seeing a preview of their debut show, David Auburn’s PROOF, it is clear that the organization certainly is.
Directed by Chris Walljasper (who along with Tristan Tapscott has founded Harrison Hilltop), this bare-bones production of PROOF was scheduled to open at the new theater, and when the new space wasn’t ready in time, the show (very recently) moved to borrowed space in The Green Room Theatre. At the preview, the kinks in translating Tapscott’s lighting design onto the Green Room stage had yet to be worked out, too, but the play – which is the thing, after all – is in great shape.
Walljasper’s cast seems more than up to any disruptions in the schedule, delivering fantastically human performances that seem completely real, and the overall result is the kind of show you don’t want to miss.
Donna Hare stars as Catherine, the young mathematician whose academic career has been interrupted by caring for her ill father, Robert, and Hare’s performance here has an understated quality that is amazingly authentic. In every scene she is quietly and extraordinarily real, showing emotion that you don’t expect to see so viscerally. Her face flushes and pales, her voice rises or shakes with feeling – and though her range of body language (at least as Catherine) seems more limited, we know instantly when the character’s mood has shifted, and we see clearly the mix of toughness and fragility that embodies this grieving young woman. Hare’s work here is an excellent center for this moving dramatic presentation.
Louis Hare is also very good as Hal, the college professor whose admiration for Robert’s work is initially more obvious than his interest in Catherine. The character is another math nerd, but this Hare also infuses his character with an authentic mix of emotions that is sincerely felt. He plays tentative and enthusiastic with equal finesse, and he applies the "nerd factor" with a light hand – which keeps Hal from ever becoming a caricature.
As Claire, Catherine’s sister (the less gifted daughter, but still a currency analyst), Emily Kurash does fine work, too. Playing a Chicagoan transplanted to New York City – and, as her tight clothes and pointy-toed shoes attest, clearly in love with being a new New Yorker – Kurash loads her concerned-sister-with-a-soothing-voice with a too-thick layer of non-offensive tones. The result, which is perfect for Claire, is also what is guaranteed to drive Catherine ‘round the bend, and Kurash is so deeply inside the character that it seems totally effortless.
Aaron Randolph III makes a terrific Robert, turning in a blustery, manic performance that has a few larger-than-life elements. His scenes with Catherine are finely-done, and his works has far more impact than the number of lines would indicate.
I would love to have seen costuming that more clearly indicated which scenes were flashbacks, and seeing Tapscott’s lighting design in full bloom would have been a plus, but there is little time to mourn these missing details when completely engrossed in great drama. Despite its hasty relocation to a new venue and some technical uncertainty during the preview I saw, this is an excellent show.
Don’t miss one of the three performances of this rare PROOF.
