Red

by John Logan

Genres: Plays

Unknown Binding

Published June 1, 2011

About the author

Logan was a successful playwright in Chicago for many years before turning to screenwriting. His first play, Never the Sinner, tells the story of the infamous Leopold and Loeb case. Subsequent plays include Hauptmann, about the Lindbergh baby kidnapping, and Riverview, a musical melodrama set at Chicago's famed amusement park.

His play Red, about artist Mark Rothko, was produced by the Donmar Warehouse, London in December 2009, and on Broadway, where it received six Tony Awards in mid-June, 2010, the most of any play, including best play, best direction of a play for Michael Grandage and best featured actor in a play for Eddie Redmayne. Redmayne and Alfred Molina had originated their roles in London and brought them to New York for a limited run ending in late June.

Logan wrote Any Given Sunday and the television movie RKO 281, before gaining an Academy Award nomination for co-writing the Best Picture-winner, Gladiator in 2000. He gained another nomination for writing 2004's The Aviator, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and directed by Martin Scorsese.

Other notable films written by Logan include Star Trek: Nemesis, The Time Machine, The Last Samurai, and the Tim Burton-directed musical, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, for which he received a Golden Globe Award.

Logan's most recent feature films include Rango, an animated feature starring Johnny Depp and directed by Gore Verbinski, the film adaptation of Shakespeare's Coriolanus directed by and starring Ralph Fiennes, and the film adaptation of The Invention of Hugo Cabret directed by Martin Scorsese. Logan co-wrote the scripts to the James Bond films, Skyfall and Spectre.

Reviews

[Clarice · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a 23-year-old woman that got the absolute joy and sorrow of playing Rothko in a showcase and to this day, it is my proudest work outside of an actual production. When this play was first recommended to me, I read it twice in one sitting. There is something about the flow and the progression that makes it so easy to read, but also makes it so provocative. This work wonderfully captures the delicate balance between mentor and protégé. The more control Rothko tries to take, the more Ken realizes how out-of-control his life really is, and clocks him because Ken is tired of never being given a chance to prove his worth and show Rothko that he does know exactly what makes art. The show is a thought-provoking look at the vulnerability and fragility that comes with being an artist, and one of the main fears that Rothko shows is the fear of being forgotten. I highly recommend watching the Alfred Enoch and Alfred Molina production pro shot available for free on Youtube. This one was amazing.

[kenner 🦦 · Rating 5 out of 5]

“We seek to capture the ephemeral, the miraculous, and put it into canvas, stopping time but, like an entomologist, pinning a butterfly, it dies when we try… We’re foolish that way… we try to make the red black. But the black is always there, … Like the snow outside the window. It never goes away. … But still we go on, clinging to that tiny bit of hope — that red — that makes the rest endurable— Or just less unendurable.”

had to read this for a theatre class, and now i know why. this was just a really really wonderful character study. i need to watch a performance of the play now because im sure its even better. going to rothko chapel after this.

[alisha! · Rating 5 out of 5]

read this because i needed to score my script for my monologue assignment for my acting class. the monologue which i chose came from ken crashing out on rothko near the end of the play. i had no interest in reading this play at first and even debated on reading just the summary, but im so glad i committed to reading it in depth. it made me FEEL. very philosophical and their dynamic is so polar yet interesting. it really makes you think. also introduced me to the seagram murals which r beautiful and haunting in itself. maybe i need to read more plays because wow

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been nine years since I did this play, and we're returning to it now for a reading at the Currier Museum of Art. As a play, it's probably four stars. But Rothko the painter and Rothko the character raise the material. And it's a joy to read aloud.

[Alexa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ll never get over this best play ever

[Daisy · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite plays

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

next up ;)))