Review: RED, Broadcast In Cinemas

John Logan's Red, which debuted at the Donmar Warehouse in 2009, enjoyed a belated West End run at the beginning of this year. As a further encore, a cinema broadcast of Michael Grandage's acclaimed production will be screened in cinemas nationwide tomorrow (7 November).

The painfully awkward power struggle between tortured artist Mark Rothko (Alfred Molina) and eager young apprentice, Ken (Alfred Enoch), initially sparks humour, but develops into a slow-burning but ultimately rewarding battle of wills.

With a beautifully crafted script from John Logan, as rich as it is informative, the two characters are set up quickly and develop slowly throughout.

The self-absorbed artist grates almost instantly. Though his smug and deliberately exclusive diatribes are later exposed as stemming from a place of vulnerability, Molina isn't afraid to court dislike early on.

A late-in-coming outburst from Ken relieves the constant pressure-cooker atmosphere of the preceding hour, briefly interrupting the soliloquy of the troubled artist.

The beauty of this screening is the ability to witness the tiny movements that would otherwise have been missed as our eyes frantically dart between the two sparring partners at this point, offering little glimpses of the darker secrets behind.

Bursting the bubble of self-absorption is where the real enjoyment comes from, rewarding engagement through some of the play's slower moments.

Christopher Oram's dimly lit set only ever briefly escapes from its claustrophobic confines when it is completely submerged in light, making no corner unknown and no crevice unexplored.

In this moment, we see not only the prose being brought to life on stage, but also a reality check that what we ourselves are witnesses to is doctored and altered - an incredibly powerful point. This is illustrated even further in the screening with an extreme long shot, laying not only the set bare, but the stage and periphery with it.

The distinct lack of post-production overkill is welcome in this screened production, allowing its audience a fair representation of what appeared on stage, as well as some close-ups to properly expose the performances of the two protagonists.

For those who missed the revival of Red in the West End, this is a fantastic opportunity to enjoy this delicately compiled production.

Find your nearest cinema screening of Red here

Enter our competition here to win a Red script and canvas signed by Alfred Molina and Alfred Enoch!

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