Ayo Edebiri and Don Cheadle will make their Broadway debuts next spring in the first New York revival of David Auburn’s Proof, directed by Tony winner Thomas Kail. The limited engagement is slated to begin previews on March 31, 2026, with opening night set for April 16 at a Shubert theater to be announced. Producers say sign-ups for ticket information are live on the production’s official site.
The revival brings a new creative team to Auburn’s drama about a brilliant young woman confronting the legacy of her mathematician father and the question of authorship around a breakthrough discovery. The production lists composer Kris Bowers, scenic designer Teresa L. Williams, costume designer Dede Ayite, and lighting designer Amanda Zieve; casting is by Daniel Swee, with general management by Baseline Theatrical.
Edebiri, widely known for The Bear, and Cheadle, whose screen work spans Hotel Rwanda to the Marvel franchise, are expected to draw crossover interest from film and television audiences. Cheadle has prior New York stage experience Off-Broadway, while Edebiri will be appearing on Broadway for the first time following a year of high-profile screen projects.
Proof premiered Off-Broadway in 2000 before transferring to Broadway’s Walter Kerr Theatre that fall, winning the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play; the original production ran through January 2003. A 2005 film adaptation starred Gwyneth Paltrow and Anthony Hopkins. The 2026 staging marks the play’s first Broadway revival.
