On Theater:

Mathematical formulas hardly are the stuff of compelling stage drama but, commingled with deep personal emotion, they can win Pulitzer Prizes and lure actors like Gwyneth Paltrow and Anthony Hopkins into movie versions.

David Auburn touched some raw nerves with the aid of quantum theories that few audiences, present company included, could ever comprehend when he wrote “Proof,” a superior drama receiving a powerful and involving staging at Golden West College.

Director Tom Amen, for all his skill at bringing Greek drama (“Oedipus Rex,” “Medea”) to the stage, is particularly adept at probing the human condition, and this he does with extreme sensitivity in this excellent collegiate version, which compares favorably with South Coast Repertory’s admirable production of a few seasons ago.

Set in the often chilly backyard of a vintage Chicago wood-frame house, which is yet to know central heating, “Proof” focuses on the 25-year-old daughter of a brilliant but unstable math professor at the University of Chicago who has recently passed away but who visits the daughter in spirit and flashbacks.

Is the young woman potentially as brilliant as her dad — and is she equally endangered by an inherited mental condition? Auburn leaves these conclusions to his audience as he weaves a thread of emotional turmoil through what appears on the surface to be a quite normal relationship.

At Golden West, the demanding role of young Catherine is superbly rendered by Julie Patzer, who wrestles with her own psyche and the affections of one of her father’s brightest students (Sean Coutu). Patzer delivers a chillingly introspective performance and particularly succeeds as a “math nerd” taking baby steps into the real world and a romantic relationship.

Veteran Golden West actor Michael Bielitz enacts her father with a crusty, gruff-but-loving demeanor that masks his aching need for his daughter’s company, both on a personal and professional level. Present only occasionally, Bielitz provides a solid, authoritative anchor for the production.

Coutu, whose character is seeking to fill her dad’s vacated role on both counts, offers a passionately involved performance, his underlying motives cleverly veiled so as to unsettle the audience. Does his concern lie with Catherine or her brilliant mathematical proof, which could pave a career path?

More transparent in her portrayal is Catherine’s older sister Claire (Michelle Terrill), who’s genuinely concerned for her sibling’s welfare but lacks both mathematical skills and a diplomatic approach. Terrill cools off the play’s steamy atmosphere with her influx of stark reality, striking sparks with Patzer in one particularly memorable sequence.

The drama unfolds against the realistic-looking backyard of the Chicago house Catherine grew up in. It’s another visual masterpiece from scene and lighting designer Sigrid Hammer Wolf.

Once you progress beyond its mathematical boundaries, “Proof” becomes a richly layered and beautifully insightful drama worthy of its Pulitzer. Golden West College offers a superlative interpretation.

If You Go

What: “Proof”

Where: Golden West College Mainstage Theater, 15744 Goldenwest St., Huntington Beach

When: Closing performances at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday

Cost: $10 to $12

Call: (714) 895-8150

TOM TITUS reviews local theater for the Daily Pilot. His reviews appear Fridays.