Tickets go on sale today for Broadway’s revival of Proof, starring Ayo Edebiri and Don Cheadle, directed by Hamilton’s Thomas Kail—a production that redefines what happens when film brilliance meets the immediacy of live theatre.
The first Broadway revival of David Auburn’s Proof, a play that once defined an era of contemporary drama. Now, nearly 25 years later, the Pulitzer and Tony-winning story returns to the Booth Theatre under the direction of Thomas Kail (Hamilton, In the Heights), with Ayo Edebiri and Don Cheadle in the leading roles.
The 16-week engagement begins previews March 31, 2026, before opening April 16. Produced by Mike Bosner and Kail, the revival marks a collision of talent rarely seen on one stage: Edebiri, fresh off her Emmy-winning turn in The Bear, makes her Broadway debut as Catherine, the daughter of a mathematician whose death leaves behind a cryptic notebook; and Cheadle, an Oscar nominee with deep theatre roots, returns to the stage to portray Robert, the father whose genius teeters between inspiration and madness.
Joining them are Samira Wiley, a Juilliard-trained actor making her Broadway debut after The Handmaid’s Tale, and Jin Ha, whose credits include Pachinko, M. Butterfly, and Hamilton. Together, they form a cast emblematic of the fluid exchange between film, television, and theatre—a pattern that has defined this Broadway season following Keanu Reeves’ sold-out run in Waiting for Godot
.
The creative team is equally accomplished. Composer Kris Bowers, whose film and TV work includes Green Book and King Richard, scores the production. Designs come from Dede Ayite (costumes), Teresa L. Williams (sets), Amanda Zieve (lighting), Mia Neal (hair and wigs), and sound designers Justin Ellington and Connor Wang. Casting is by Daniel Swee with Sara Gammage as production stage manager.
When Proof premiered at Manhattan Theatre Club in 2000, it quickly transferred to Broadway, earning six Tony nominations, three wins, and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Auburn’s text—part mystery, part emotional reckoning—became a modern classic, exploring the psychological burden of inherited brilliance. The 2005 film adaptation solidified its cultural reach, but the material has rarely returned to the stage with this kind of star power.
This revival arrives at a moment when many actors known for their screen work are turning to theatre as a proving ground. The stage, stripped of retakes and camera filters, demands a different kind of presence. For Edebiri, whose performances balance humor and tension, it’s a test of endurance; for Cheadle, it’s a return to his creative source.
Beyond the casting headlines, Proof remains a meditation on what it means to be seen as exceptional—and what that expectation costs. Kail, who helped turn Hamilton into a cultural movement, is poised to give Auburn’s play the same sense of velocity and intimacy.
Tickets are available now at telecharge.com/proof-tickets and proofbroadway.com.
