Red by the Melbourne Theatre Company

The award-winning play Red is about to premiere at the Melbourne Theatre Company.  

Played by Aussie film veteran Colin Friels, Red is the story of Mark Rothko, a Russian-American painter who became one of the most famous abstract expressionist artists of the 20th century.

After finding success in New York City, he struggles to accept that his growing ambition for praise and riches will ultimately become his undoing.

In a Manhattan studio in the late 1950s master abstract expressionist painter Mark Rothko is madly painting a set of murals especially commissioned for the new Four Seasons restaurant, part of the prestigious New York Seagram Building.

Under the watchful gaze of his young assistant Ken, and the threatening presence of a new generation of modern artists, Rothko faces one of the biggest conundrums for any artist who wants to make a living.

Is this well-paying commission a wonderful chance to create a work of art for an extraordinary setting, or is he simply selling his creative soul at $35,000 a piece?

Red is an exciting two-character play, a portrait of an artist’s ambition and his ever-present vulnerability.

Rothko’s intensity and the sheer determination of his character, makes for a great piece of theatre with its relationship between an artist and his creation.

Having had seasons in London and NYC, winning the Tony award for best play in 2010 and many other awards, Red promises to be more than a class in artist appreciation 101 with its portrait of a talented but angry mind whilst giving us a sense of the shape and texture of his thoughts.

Red is written by John Logan who’s creations for both stage and cinema include: Any Given Sunday, Star Trek: Nemesis, The Time Machine, The Last Samurai, Rango, Coriolanus and Tim Burton’s Sweeney Todd, for which he received a Golden Globe Award.

He also earned three Academy Award nominations for Gladiator, The Aviator and this year’s Hugo. Melbourne filmmaker, Alkinos Tsilimidos makes his stage directing debut with MTC with Red.

Described as one of Australia’s most important contemporary film directors, his gritty, socially observant films include: Everynight … Everynight, Silent Partner, and Em 4 Jay, all written by my favourite Australian playwright Daniel Keene (Life Without Me, MelbourneTheatre Company 2010).

On directing Red, Tsilimidos says the play “promises a visceral experience where art meets commerce head on and thankfully art wins out”.

Set designer: Shaun Gurton

Costume designer: Jill Johanson

Lighting designer: Matt Scott

Composer: Tristan Meredith

Cast: Colin Friels (Mark Rothko) and André de Vanny (Ken)

Season dates: March 22 to May 5, 2012

Opening night: Monday, March 26 at 8pm

Tickets from $56

Under 30s just $33

Booking details: The MTC Theatre Box Office 8688 0800 or www.mtc.com.au