New Tipping Point Play Spotlights Father-Daughter Relationships

Some might think it’s a story about the relationship between fathers and daughters. Others might say it’s a story about different kinds of love.

There’s a wide range of themes audiences can take away from the ’s latest production, Proof. Playwright David Auburn’s Pulitzer-Prize-winning drama is showing at the Tipping Point now until March 5. It is part of the theater’s "All American Season,” which features the work of writers from around the country. The play is directed by Suzi Regan.

“The experience is as unique as the stars or a snowflake,” said the theater’s director, James Kuhl. “The biggest thing for me is the relationship between fathers and daughters … and some things you just have to put faith in – like yourself.”

The production stars actress Kate Peckham, who has performed in the Detroit area for 20 years. She plays the strong-willed but lovably blunt Catherine, the daughter of a renowned mathematician with a mental illness.

“It’s got really strong female characters,” Peckham said in an interview after the play. “A lot of female parts are just love stories.”

And while there is a bit of a romantic love story – between Catherine and one of her father's grad students played by Chris Korte – interspersed with the tale of Catherine’s relationship with her father, it’s not the focus of the play, she said. That is why she e-mailed Kuhl to audition for the part as soon as she heard it was coming to the Tipping Point.

The story is set in The Windy City. Catherine’s father, played by Hugh Maguire of Ann Arbor, is a genius math professor at the University of Chicago, who passes down his affinity for numbers to Catherine. At the start of the play, it is established that he has recently passed away. After years of caring for him, Catherine tries to cope with the loss, her haunting memories of her father and her own bouts of mental illness.

"I have two daughters and I think there was that kind of emotional connection," Maguire said.

Peckham said that her own "daddy's girl" relationship with her father also attracted her to the role.

Catherine's sister, somewhat passive-aggressive in her desire to care for Catherine, urges her to move to New York City, much to Catherine’s dismay. After several dramatic exchanges with her sister, Catherine struggles to gain control of her own life. Her sister is played by Kelly Komlen.

“On its surface, there might be a hesitancy (to attend) because it’s a drama,” Kuhl said. “I think sometimes when you have that label of a drama, the natural tendency is to be crying or wailing.”

“But there’s so much more,” he said.

The play drew laughs from the audience at several points during the performance.

“It had excellent acting,” said Jim McBride of Northville. He and his wife, Mary, are season ticket holders.

Angie Connolly of Northville agreed, saying, “I thought it was very well done and it was an interesting plot.”