Rothko! Fantastic! Inspirational! Yes!

I was very excited to to invited to view this new production at the SpeakEasy. Red, a Tony Award winning play from 2010 is centered on the great painter, Rothko in the late 1950’s as he finishes his master piece murals for the soon to be opened Four Seasons Restaurant in New York City. He embarks on a contemplative journey with his assistant that not only questions the art world in general but his own perspective on work, life and death. It is no wonder this play won so many awards. John Logan’s writing packs a punch at every turn and keeps you on the edge of your seat to see where he’ll go next. It’s almost like a high speed car chase – you never know when he’ll make the next turn, but you gotta stay alert or else he’ll lose you.

The scenery was so crucial to make this play come alive. While it was mostly a bare stage with the theater mechanics in plain view, the paintings, work tables, chairs and most importantly the turntable center the viewer on the action. It looks like a painters studio – paint on the floor, dirty and grimy, cigarette smoke filling the air, there is no specific time period other than the dictated time when the specific events outlining the play took place. I love how it feels so modern, but represents such a wonderful time in history. All in all, Cristina Todesco’s scenic design and Jeff Adelberg’s lighting were playful, useful and delightful with a bit of cheese thrown in the mix (the snow at the end was a cliche celebration). Gail Astrid Buckley’s costume design was not terribly memorable for Rothko, but more successful for Ken, his assistant, by focusing the viewer on his age and body. Bill Barclay’s sound design left me with a lot of questions which ultimately detracted from my experience.  His choice on some of the specific records played in the background took away from the action – the most prominent example of this is when the opening of the Mozart Requiem was played. Who can focus on the action when something so recognizable and moving is overpowering it? As an audience member who has knowledge of classical music, I found this to be a lazy and distracting choice.  I also did not understand the mechanical clanging that separated the scenes from each other. It was raw and rough and did not seem to coincidence with the vision of the play.

Thomas Derrah as Mark Rothko had great energy and verve to his performance. While I enjoyed his stage presence, sadly, at times I thought his performance bordered on yelling. I would suggest adding more vocal nuance in the future, it will only add dimension to the character.  Karl Baker Olson, as the assistant, didn’t quite reach the point of  embodiment that made me care about his character’s story.  My companion kept asking why we cared about his storyline at all.  In a play that is supposed to be about Rothko,  keeping the audience engaged in a secondary character can be a challenge, especially when there are only two characters!  The direction in this production was riveting. Clear sightlines, great placement and use of space endeared me to David Gammon’s directing. He truly brought the play to life with his work and it always seemed fresh. Another pit-fall of a two person play can be repetitive staging, but Gammon succeeded in keeping things inventive.

This was a great play to watch and see come alive. While the acting itself did not enthral me, the writing and solid stage direction were winners.  I would confidently recommend this show to others. It is a colorful view into the whirlwind mind of “an artist”- and artfully done.

 

Karl Baker Olson (right) plays an assistant to abstract expressionist painter Mark Rothko in this scene from the SpeakEasy Stage Company production of RED, running now thru Feb. 4 at the Stanford Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont Street in Boston’s South End. Tix/Info: 617-933-8600 or www.SpeakEasyStage.com. Photo: Craig Bailey/Perspective Photo.