Proof of Love NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (137)
See it if A tour de force one woman performance that should be seen. We enjoyed it very much!
Don't see it if If you are not a fan of one person shows or do not like the subject matter. Otherwise I say def go see this actresses work!
See it if you want to see a great solo performance covering a common, but often discussed, issue. Want seriousness and also want to laugh
Don't see it if you don't enjoy solo performances, don't want to see discussion of discrimination among a race Read more
See it if you want to see an incredible performance by Brenda Pressley in a very well crafted play.
Don't see it if socio-economic distinctions within a given race yielding different perceptions is unacceptable to you Read more
See it if you want to see a terrific actress at the top of her game.Play is funny and touching and real.It's a bit of a soap opera, but so well done!
Don't see it if you don't want a play that could be an episode in Dallas.It is so well done that you don't feel it is trite or hackneyed.Pressley is perfect
See it if a well crafted story about a text message revelation by a married woman in a hospital room sounds interesting.
Don't see it if the idea of experiencing Master Class actress Brena Pressley tackle the juicy role of scorned wife bores you. If so, SHAME ON YOU!
See it if you like one person performances that present an extremely realistic presentation about one's life & struggle to deal with sudden adversity.
Don't see it if you dislike one person performances that deal seriously with misfortune and meditation on one's life & choices made.
See it if You'd enjoy a frank, thoughtful and enlightening story related to class and education within the black community.
Don't see it if You don't like stories that expose you to topics or discussions outside of your day-to-day experiences. Read more
See it if you are ready to think, feel, laugh and be moved by this one-women performance
Don't see it if you don't want to think about family dynamics and only want to escape while in the theatre Read more
Critic Reviews (10)
“The monologue is delivered well...the circumstances that make it one are notably contrived...It does provide Pressley a rich opportunity to explore a complex, loquacious, if emotionally stifled, character...Hutchinson has hobbled herself by choosing a structure that starves 'Proof of Love' of live conflict...Carroll has done what she can to shape the script’s graceful paragraphs into a simulation of action. But her effort is undermined just before the end of the 75-minute play."
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“The first new play commissioned by Audible...Brimming with intrigue and insight, it's an auspicious start...Carroll complements Hutchinson's script with high production values...’Proof of Love’ is one of the more realistic portrayals of infidelity I've seen onstage, and its observations on love and marriage are spot-on...A thrilling dramatic experiment that invites audiences into the theater, but also invites them to enjoy plays on their morning commute.”
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"As specified in the script, Constance is 'not a sentimental person, and is soooo not practiced in emoting,' so Pressley rarely varies from a rather clinical, conversational tone. We can certainly sympathize with Constance for being the victim of infidelity but this white reviewer will leave it to others to consider if her attitude is unsympathetically elitist or a defensive armor against those who would call her 'a sell-out who's ashamed to be black.'"
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“It's a rich subject, and Hutchinson, as always, has a knack for zinger-filled dialogue. Pressley is a formidable presence...Whatever else you want to say about ‘Proof of Love’, it is never dull. Nor is it totally satisfying...The problems that comprise the subject matter of ‘Proof of Love’ are real; the format for discussing them too often feels forced...Constance (and the actress who plays her) is rather more engaging than the contrived and oddly unfinished play in which she appears.”
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“Already contrived, especially within the expository limitations of a 75-minute monologue rendered in real time, the soapy story turns preposterous as Constance, assuming the guise of Maurice à la Cyrano, starts rapidly thumbing out text message exchanges with her unsuspecting rival...What keeps ‘Proof of Love’ from drifting into ridiculousness is the double anchor of the character that the playwright creates as augmented by Pressley’s tautly-controlled performance.”
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"Never really losing her cool, Pressley always commands the stage even though scenic designer Distler has made it difficult by creating a huge private room...difficult for one person to fill the space. Yes, Maurice is presumed to be in his hospital bed on stage right, and Lashonda is on the smartphone, but Pressley must negotiate the entire stage herself. Director Jade King Carroll has found reasons for her to move around...but has not helped much in making the play build an arc."
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"But Hutchison has a larger, more intriguing point: Is the affair, in some way, Constance's fault? Mind you, we never find out if their sex life has completely diminished or if they bicker and squabble on a daily basis. Indeed, if we believe Constance, their union is happy, or at least comfortable. But there's another even more insidious reason Constance has her doubts about Maurice's willingness to stay."
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“Well, this show may be many things, but ‘Proof of Love’ it surely is not. To be completely honest, I cannot tell where the problem rests - there is plenty of problem to spread around...Pressley plays pretty much one note - a sort of maudlin condition - for most of the 70 minutes she is with us. So consistent is her tone that this must have been the wish of...Hutchinson, as well as...Carroll...The result is that the pace and tone are like the blips on a hospital monitor. Repetitive and monotonous.”
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