When abstract expressionist and celebrated bad boy of the art world Mark Rothko lands a commission to create a series of large murals, he hires an assistant - and what takes place between them is a visceral experience that spills off the stage and will forever change the way you see the color red. International City Theatre presents Red, the fiery and fiercely funny Tony, Drama Desk and Drama League Award winner for Best Play by John Logan. Directed by caryn desai [sic] and starring Tony Abatemarco as Rothko and Patrick Stafford as his young assistant, Ken, Red, opens this weekend at International City Theatre in the Long Beach Performing Arts Center.
Set in the late 1950s, Red focuses on the period in Rothko's life when he was working on a number of large murals that were to hang in The Four Seasons, a luxury restaurant in New York's new Seagram Building. As the play opens, Rothko and Ken have been working feverishly in Rothko's New York studio. When Ken gains the confidence to challenge the master, Rothko faces the agonizing possibility that his crowning achievement could also become his undoing. As they mix the paint, stretch the canvas and prime the surface, Rothko must reconcile not only the mix of art and commerce he's creating, but also his relationship with the new generation of artists who threaten his very legacy. Paint collides with canvas live on stage in a master class on the methods and purpose of art and the dynamic relationship between an artist and his creations.Videos