It’s been another excellent season at Syracuse Stage. I’ve heard great things about Caroline, or Change and am excited for next month’s 2010 Tony Award winning Red. Many are familiar with Mark Rothko and his amazing Abstract Expressionist work (especially his “multiforms”) but fewer are aware that a unique play was written in his honor. Some may wonder how exciting a play about a painter can be but Rothko’s work is so full of emotion that he’s actually a perfect choice. The play doesn’t begin until Wednesday, March 7th but I wanted to give a little more advance notice than I usually do.
Mark Rothko (1903-1970) was one of the foremost artists of Abstract Expressionism, though he resisted the term. Early on he was known for dark interiors and city scenes but it was his “multiforms” that become most celebrated (there’s one on my wall). It wasn’t until 1946 that he began to develop the unique style of stacked rectangular blocks of color on massive canvases. In 1949 Rothko exhibited his new works, which were met by rave reviews–some claiming it to be a major revelation. I’ve got a print of one such work called Untitled from 1949, which I’ve always loved. Vibrant oranges, yellows, burning reds and a small black rectangle cutting across the center. While it is very abstract, this work is visceral and highly emotional (maybe manic) in nature. I’ve seen his work at MoMA and was blown away by the sheer size and overwhelming emotion it inspires. When you look at a Rothko in person, they appear to physically vibrate as if they are somehow electrically charged. The contrasting colors work together to create this strange effect and makes them feel alive–imbued with the spirit of the long-passed Mark Rothko. I was in a room surrounded by several over six-foot-tall canvases and I was instantly a fan.
This play picks up on a time in Rothko’s life when he and a young protege were working on a series of murals for the Four Seasons restaurant in New York (new at that time). They prepare paint and canvass while evaluating the work. Soon they enter an intellectual battle over the practice, purpose and meaning of art. Sounds like a familiar dramatic moment but something sets Red apart. I talked about Rothko’s paintings feeling alive, but in Red they essentially become characters. The play is set in a studio on the Bowery in the later half of the 1950s. The highly opinionated and uncompromising Rothko comes to life and tells us about art, life and the connection between artist and his (her) work. Red performances usually feature enormous, vivid paintings pulled across the stage by Rothko and his protege so I’m hoping Syracuse Stage does something similar. You just can’t begin to understand the actual scale of the work without seeing it in person. You can expect a high-brow, enlightening and moving work of theatre that despite being totally different from most plays, still contains the conventions of plot; dialogue, conflict and resolution. While the original script jumps into some pretty heavy philosophy–Freud, Jung and Nietzsche–and is generally more intellectual than simply entertaining. There is much more weaved into Red than most entertainment-only plays and for that reason I had to feature it.
If you’re an all-out lover of Rothko’s work (like me) or even mildly interested in art–this is a wonderful way to experience paintings in a different medium. Red originally premiered in 2009 London and is written by John Logan. Reviews have been positive, here’s one from the New York Times. As I mentioned Red won a 2010 Tony Award for Best Play and was nominated a total of seven times. While we won’t be able to see the intense Alfred Molino as Rothko, I’m sure you’ll be amazed by what Syracuse Stage puts together. Don’t miss out!
Syracuse Stage presents Red (More info).
820 East Genesee Street (Directions)
Get Tickets Now! - Adults: $28-$50, 18 & Under: $18, 40 & Under: $28
Running: Wednesday, March 7th – Sunday, March 25th.
© 2012, Michael Rotella. All rights reserved.
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