RED Takes on Montreal

By no means are we theatre experts, you can turn to Eric Bentley for that. We haven’t studied or watched enough of it to be able to account for every little psychological, metaphorical and physical aspect of it. But what we can tell you is how RED by John Logan, a play that officially opened last night at The Segal Centre for Performing Arts, made us feel…alive.

Before we give you a brief overview of the play itself, we have to mention that this was our first time attending a production at the Segal Centre. The space itself is the definition of up close and personal. If you ever wanted to be near the artist to the point where you can even hear them breathe (you will understand this after attending RED), then this is it. Cozy, warm but spacious, it feels like a secret backroom of a grandiose library in Europe; it’s ideal. 

RED

Now to the guest of honour: RED. The play was created to give a magnetic insight into the life of abstract-expressionist painter (although he rejected this label constantly) Mark Rothko, so powerfully acted by eight-time Dora Mavor Moore award recipient Randy Hughson.

Directed by one of Canada’s most respected directors, Martha Henry, this Tony Award-winning play draws the audience into the studio of Mark Rothko in 1958, when he was at the peak of his fame. 

Taking place in Rothko’s studio, the set depicted a lot of authenticity. A gloomy space, filled with paint buckets, rags, a record player that echoed melodramatic violins throughout the play truly depicting and setting the mood for Rothko’s agony and character. The staging was simple, but spoke loudly. It brought viewers into the artist’s mind, a complex place that none of us will probably ever understand, but grow to deeply appreciate.

The play’s central premise is Rothko’s questioning of himself as an artist and his importance and relevance after being commissioned to create a series of large-scale murals for Manhattan’s newly-conceived Seagram Building, one of the biggest commissions in the history of modern art. Challenged by his young assistant Ken (played by Jesse Aaron Dwyre), he’s perturbed whether this project will injure his artistic integrity.

RED

What we experience after is a consuming and powerful debate between a mentor and his prodigy, about the role of art in society, its changes and how the new generation is slowly over-shadowing the old. What we are left with are two completely opposing but equally compelling views left for each one to individually absorb.

Rothko plays at the Segal Centre until December 16th. For more information visit them online.