Reviews: What Do the Critics Think of Proof on Broadway?

Ayo Edebiri and Don Cheadle lead the revival of David Auburn's Tony- and Pulitzer-winning play.

April 16, 2026 By Meg Masseron, Margaret Hall

Ayo Edebiri, Don Cheadle, and Jin Ha in *Proof* (Matthew Murphy)

The reviews are rolling in for the Broadway revival of David Auburn's Tony- and Pulitzer-winning Proof, which officially opened at the Booth Theatre April 16 after beginning previews March 31. Directed by Tony winner Thomas Kail (Hamilton), and produced by Mike Bosner and Kail, the revival is playing a strictly limited 16-week engagement.

The Pulitzer-winning play is led by Ayo Edebiri (The Bear) as Catherine and Don Cheadle (Hotel Rwanda) as Robert, with Jin Ha (Pachinko) as Hal and two-time Tony winner Kara Young (Purpose) as Claire.

Proof tells the story of the daughter of a recently deceased mathematician who must fight to prove the authorship of a landmark proof that is discovered among her father's papers, while also dealing with her father's legacy of genius and mental illness.

Read the reviews below.

The Chicago Tribune (Chris Jones)*

Cititour (Brian Lipton)

Culture Sauce (Thom Geier)

Entertainment Weekly (Emlyn Travis)

Deadline (Greg Evans)

The Guardian (Richard Lawson)

New York Theater Guide (Joe Dziemianowicz)

The New York Times (Helen Shaw)*

New York Theater (Jonathan Mandell)

TheaterMania (David Gordon)

TimeOut (Adam Feldman)

Variety (Aramide Tinubu)

The Wall Street Journal (Charles Isherwood)*

The Wrap (Robert Hofler)

*This review may require creating a free account or paid subscription.

Playbill will continue to update this list as reviews come in.

Proof premiered Off-Broadway at Manhattan Theatre Club in 2000, selling out its initial run before transferring to Broadway, where it won three Tony Awards, including Best Play. Proof closed January 5, 2003, after 917 performances at the Walter Kerr Theatre, setting the venue record for a play. In 2001, Proof received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. In 2005, Proof was adapted into a feature film starring Anthony Hopkins and Gwyneth Paltrow.

Kail's creative team includes composer Kris Bowers, scenic designer Teresa L. Williams, costume designer Dede Ayite, lighting designer Amanda Zieve, sound designers Justin Ellington and Connor Wang, hair and wig designer Mia Neal, casting director Daniel Swee, and production stage manager Sara Gammage. Baseline Theatrical serves as general manager for the production.