

Red (Logan)
John Logan


Awards & Recognition
Winner! Six 2010 Tony Awards, including Best Play Winner! 2010 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play Winner! 2010 Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role
What readers are saying
Readers are highly impressed by the play's exploration of Rothko and the nature of art. Many find the character dynamics and dialogue thought-provoking, leading to deep emotional responses. The play inspires passion for art and showcases exceptional writing and character development. Enthusiasm for a live performance is a common sentiment among reviews.
"There is only one thing I fear in life, my friend ...
One day the black will swallow the red."
Under the watchful gaze of his young assistant and the threatening presence of a new generation of artists, Mark Rothko takes on his greatest challenge yet: to create a definitive work for an extraordinary setting.
This play is a moving and compelling account of one of the greatest artists of the 20th century whose struggle to accept his growing riches and praise became his ultimate undoing.
"Intense and exciting… a study in artist appreciation, a portrait of an angry and brilliant mind that asks you to feel the shape and texture of thoughts… Red captures the dynamic relationship between an artist and his creations."
— The New York Times
"Smart, eloquent entertainment… Logan’s dialogue is a sleight of hand; behind its wallop is a lot of learning… Logan sometimes appropriates Rothko’s epigrams, but his own idiom is well wrought and delightful. He doesn’t just tell; he also shows, at one point having Rothko collaborate with Ken in mixing paint and priming canvases. As classical music blasts from the record player, they slather the paint over the canvas, a balletic, two-minute explosion of activity that deftly conjures what most plays about artists don’t: the exhilaration of the act."
— The New Yorker
"John Logan sends American abstract expressionist painter Mark Rothko into battle with his demons in this electrifying play of ideas, and the artist’s howls are pure music… Rothko is one old lion that will keep roaring until he draws his last breath."
— Variety
"Logan’s success lies in reminding us that painting is a job of work… what emerges is something rare in modern drama: a totally convincing portrait of the artist as a working visionary."
— The Guardian
| Character |
|---|
Ken His new assistant, twenties. |
Mark Rothko American painter, fifties or older. |
"Red" monologue by Joe Wissler
Red is a British play written by John Logan and published by Oberon in London (2009).
Digital editions available on Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, Google Play (eISBN 9781849432214).
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