RED, not to be confused with REDS, is a color, not a Commie. It refers to the impression given by one of ten huge canvases that make up Mark Rothko’s Seagrams Murals, which are not seen onstage at Theatre Exile.
The story takes place at Rothko’s studio in the Bowery, NYC, in the 1950s. It’s a masterful portrayal of a special kind of nut case: a great artist. This is a story of two men, a young man, Ken (Zach Valdez)—and a big, outrageous Rothko (Scott Greer). Ken has been hired to assist Rothko, cleaning brushes, preparing canvases, going out for coffee, liquor, and takeout. An aspiring artist, he wants to learn what he can from the master.
Zach Valdez does an outstanding job as Ken, who has secrets and sadness, yet holds his own as he converses, argues, and clashes with Rothko, played by one of Philadelphia’s el primo actors, Scott Greer. With essentially no action, there’s lots of fast talk, which the actors carry out well. A story of tragedy and outrage emerges. Eventually the meaning of RED is disclosed.
RED concerns itself with the events of the late 1950s, a period in Rothko’s life when he was busy painting the Seagram Murals. The deal was that Rothko would supply the Four Seasons restaurant in the Seagram Building in New York with 500- to 600-square feet of his abstract expressionist paintings for $35,000. He placed in the contract a clause that would enable him to take back his paintings. In 1958 and 1959 he created three sets of canvases. However, the Seagram Murals were never hung on the walls of the restaurant. In 1970 he sent back the $35,000 and kept his paintings. He donated nine canvases to London’s Tate galleries in 1969. On February 25, 1970, Mark Rothko committed suicide.
Today, paintings from his series are held by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. and the Kawamura Museum of Modern Art in Japan, as well as the Tate. The rest of the Seagram Mural paintings are the property of Mark Rothko’s children, who sell works from Rothko’s estate through the Pace Gallery.
90 minutes. No intermission
[Theatre Exile, 1340 13th Street] October 24–November 10, 2024; theatreexile.org
Playwright: John Logan
Director: Matt Pfeiffer
Actors: Scott Greer (Mark Rothko), Zach Valdez (Ken)
Designers:
Sound- Christopher Colucci
Costume- LeVonne Lindsay
Scenic- Colin McIlvaine
Props- Nana Nimako
Lighting- Maria Shaplin
Art Consultant- Raphael Tiberino
Production Manager- Ella Namour