Play Review: Red

The Michael Grandage Company’s six-time award winning staged production of Red sees its revival in London’s West End. This seasons production stars Alfred Molina, returning as the American abstract expressionist Rothko alongside Alfred Enoch as the fictionalized assistant, Ken.

The idealism of art and what art means during a time of generational change from abstract art to pop art is enhanced by the actor’s intensity on stage through Alfred Molina. Molina portrays the tormented artist, Mark Rothko and opposite him Alfred Enoch who portrays the innocent and naïve youthful assistant, Ken. This portrait of an artist surviving through a world he once knew, changing into something he hardly recognizes. A gap of generations is displayed within one room on stage that echoes the yearning of nostalgia and complacency through impactful scenes from old man Rothko, in contrast to Alfred Enoch’s, youthful Ken, who thirsts for change and the future. This idea of a head-butting difference between generations echo’s in current time, where the old do not understand the young and the neediness of the current generation. As well as the youth not understanding the old and their inability to seek change and empathy.

The staging itself presents a narrative of longing and devastation endorsed by the artist who inhabits the single space. The walls bleeding against white surfaces, red splattered against white backgrounds, the contrasts enhanced by the lighting choices. This style of stage setting seems to be chosen to promote the ideas of contrast between the two main characters, where they exchange their thoughts on the meanings of red and white and how each color is reflected within their own subconscious.

The lighting bending and focusing the art so the audience’s eyes can physically and emotionally experience the art properly and feel the emotions being evoked through the actors. The staging aided in providing this sense of serenity for the art, actors, and audience but was easily able to throw those parties into a whirl wind of intense anxiety and exasperation. The lighting helped set the mood of the seen creating suspense, light heartedness, sadness, and happiness, but it also helped the art itself giving the art the perfect lighting and visual that increased its sentimentality and emotion for all the spectators. Th lighting was an amazing factor within the play, especially the lighting used to focus on the paintings themselves, creating sort of exhibition style of viewing, and creating the illusion that the audience was seeing the paintings as Rothko wanted them to be seen, as he saw them.

Not only did the staging and lighting increase the emotions for the audience and the actors, but the music within the production aided in as much and more to create the scenes, moods, and emotions. The old-fashioned master, Rothko, is always playing classical symphonic melodies, never getting exactly what he wants from these records, but always listening to them, flipping side A to side B raising the volume when he was intense and wanting to paint, lowering the volume when he needed to lecture needed to be heard. Ken now more confidant with the studio and himself, listens to smooth jazz by himself setting up his own mood for being creative for being an artist. Representing a new generation not only within society as a youth, but as an artist a person who will become the forefront of a generation and lead the art and entertainment of this time. The music provided a personality for everyone, letting the audience get to know each character personally. The music seemed to allow the characters to experience growth and change within a short amount of time during the production, aiding in moving the storyline forward as well as hinting to character development.

John Logan’s written work is again revitalized by its original artistic director Michael Grandage, both Logan and Grandage have worked together in the past including the original showcase of Red in 2009, starring Alfred Molina as Rothko and Eddie Redmayne as Ken.

The production is playing at Wyndham’s Theatre until July 28.