Don Cheadle and Ayo Edebiri bring “Proof” back to broadway

Don Cheadle and Ayo Edebiri make their Broadway debuts in a new revival of “Proof,” David Auburn’s Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning play.

Edebiri, the Emmy-winning actor from “The Bear,” admits the experience has not quite “sunk in.”

“I'm excited to have this moment with the people that I'm with and with this project, particularly. Like, that's what's really sticking with me more than it's my debut, because that's how my brain works,” Edeberi said.

Cheadle takes a more pragmatic approach.

"We're going to be doing well over a hundred shows and what will that mean and how's it going to be different in April than it's going to be in June and July. But I think really what's been keeping my focus more than anything right now is rehearsal now," Cheadle said.

Both actors have expressed enthusiasm about audiences seeing a cast that reflects greater representation onstage, highlighting the importance of bringing their perspectives to roles not traditionally portrayed by Black actors.

“I'm very excited to be doing it with a family that looks like this,” Cheadle said.

Cheadle also spoke about the play’s focus on mental health and whether it can have an impact.

“Unfortunately, the conversation about mental health is not going to go anywhere and I imagine with what we are dealing with and seeing happen on steroids more and more every day, more people are going to be dealing with it,” he said.

Edeberi added: "In the Black community, sometimes we don't talk about these things.”

She stars as Catherine in the play, the brilliant yet restless daughter of renowned mathematics professor Robert, played by Cheadle. After his death, her life is upended when a notebook containing a groundbreaking proof is discovered. As questions arise over its authorship, Catherine must grapple with the legacy and the cost of proving herself.

“Proof” opens April 16 at the Booth Theatre.