[Chat] Megan Anderson in Proof

[Emil Volcheck]

There's a great story in today's Sun about
the play "Proof" showing at the Everyman:

http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/stage/bal-to.hit06mar06,0,1620251.story

Megan Anderson plays the leading role of a young mathematical genius
who is the daughter of a schizophrenic mathematical genius, who is
patterned after John Nash, the subject of the movie "A Beautiful
Mind".  Here's part of what the Sun writes about reaction to her
performance:

    For the first time in their lives, the cast members have been
    treated as though they were Broadway stars. Megan Anderson, who
    plays the role of the talented, depressed Catherine, was
    astounded, embarrassed and delighted when two girls walked up to
    the stage during the curtain call and handed her a dozen immense
    purple-pink roses.

Megan used to work part-time at the Cuppa Cabana shop on the 32nd
St. side of the Saint Paul Court Apts.  I think Megan's dad owned the
place, and she managed the place along with her brother.
I thought Megan looked vaguely familiar, but I didn't recognize
her until Alice Brock mentioned this.  

She did really well.  It is great to see a struggling actress have
a hit performance.  The playwright was very good at describing aspects
of the mathematical life.  He was right about the fear of losing your
edge as you grow older, about the thrill and joy of proving results
and creating new math, and to a certain extent about the
competitiveness.  I think he overgeneralized certain aspects, based on
biographies that he's read.  Sure, Paul Erdos was a math genius who
did speed, but the only stimulant I see mathematicians doing is
caffeine.  Yes, there are occasionally late parties, but at the
conferences I go to, it's only Canadians, not Americans who are the
hard drinkers.

The playwright was definitely trying to write around the actual math.
There were some stilted parts where the actors playing mathematicians
talked about the math a little circuitously, where, in reality,
mathematicians in that situation would actually be discussing the math
itself.  I think that puts an actor in a tricky position, but Megan
projected the character pretty well.

The rest of the weekend is sold out, and it's not being extended again.
This turned out to be the most successful play in the history
of the Everyman Theater, the Sun reported.

--Emil