Proof review: Ayo Edebiri and Don Cheadle star in underpowered Broadway revival

2 hours and 30 minutes, with one intermission.At the Booth Theatre, 222 W.

45th Street.Just one piece of the first Broadway revival of David Auburn’s most famous play answers the question “What exactly is ‘Proof’ + 26 years?”That’s Ayo Edebiri, the ubiquitous actress from FX’s “The Bear” who plays grief-stricken Catherine, the role made famous more than a quarter century ago by a young Mary Louise Parker. The setting of the tight-as-a-drum drama, which opened Thursday night at the Booth Theatre, hasn’t been moved from the early aughts.But Edebiri’s cringing, self-deprecating embodiment of a woman at her wit’s end couldn’t be more rooted in 2026 — much in the same way Parker’s lauded turn was a mascot for the new millennium. The original actress’ performance as a Chicago student whose renowned mathematician father has just died is remembered for its directness, assured control of her character’s sexuality and untethered energy. Edebiri’s scaled-back version, with nary a hint of any of that, has Gen Z written all over it.

Catherine recedes when confronted.She runs toward geekiness — not away from it.

She hides from others using a sense of humor that’s mainly for her own amusement, not for anybody else’s.Painful emotions make her physically tremble while she fights to keep them down.   Admirably, hers is a very different portrayal of Catherine than any I’ve seen before.

At times, it’s a very moving one.And, while Edebiri’s interpretation won’t please everybody or even gel with all the beats of the play — particularly older sister Claire and new friend Hal’s sexist insistence that Catherine couldn’t possibly be a math wiz — the actress’ sheer modernity helps prevent “Proof” from feeling too retro.Phew.

Because director Thomas Kail certainly isn’t helping her on that front. On a bright University of Chicago backyard set by Teresa L.Williams that could be used on dark nights for “Home Improv...