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courtneyjoyzanetti's review against another edition
fast-paced
3.75
I love art made about art, and this play certainly scratches an itch. I love the simplicity of the staging and the power it puts in the hands of the actors. The page itself is only the beginning of the art here, maybe I’ll go watch the filmed version next
luheilbron's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
3.75
bravelass85's review against another edition
5.0
Loved the setting, the character development - this play has something to say and gets away with shouting it by employing the character of Rothko. I liked its point that art movements are driven by actual people (and the current trend pushing in is going to infuriate the last group that thought they had found the answer. Its undercurrents about the spirit of humanity and the purpose of art were pointed without being overwrought. So good. I would love to do this.
kvothes's review against another edition
4.0
got this from the library on a whim, because i’ve been wanting to read it for years, because we did a scene from it in an acting class i took in undergrad.
only to find out that it was written by the mentor of a good friend of mine. connections all over!
really excellent. really want to watch it. so many lines that made me inhale Very sharply. god i fucking miss writing plays.
only to find out that it was written by the mentor of a good friend of mine. connections all over!
really excellent. really want to watch it. so many lines that made me inhale Very sharply. god i fucking miss writing plays.
daaave's review against another edition
4.0
Red is the story of an artist fighting against himself and against society. Rothko is an artist nearing the end of his generation's relevancy and he is fighting to find a place where he matters again. He creates murals but is obsessed with making sure that they are seen exactly the way he wants them seen. They must be seen in the proper light, the people who want to look at them and discuss them must have read the required texts, and they must see the "tragedy" in them. Rothko has been hired to create four murals to be hung up in an upper class restaurant. From the beginning he describes this particular process as a 9-5 job, just like the bankers. But he is incapable of just whipping out four simple murals. He can't create without meaning. His assistant Ken is the personification of his growing irrelevancy. Ken is a young artist with respect for the peers of his generation. They clash a number of times about a number of things and their clashes seem to symbolize the actual changeover from the old generation to the new. But Ken is also very similar to Rothko. He has his own personal tragedy that fuels his artistic exploration.
The title of the play is "Red" and its reference in the play is a moment where Rothko is furious at the oversimplification of Ken suggesting his painting needs "red." They then go on to state the different things that "red" is and symbolizes. It's a beautiful moment of free-flowing artistic interpretation and is possibly my favorite moment of the play.
I need a while to think more on this one as much of the meaning of the play is subtle and has more to do with the psyche of an artist than any simple plot line. But any play that can make me think this much is obviously doing something right.
The title of the play is "Red" and its reference in the play is a moment where Rothko is furious at the oversimplification of Ken suggesting his painting needs "red." They then go on to state the different things that "red" is and symbolizes. It's a beautiful moment of free-flowing artistic interpretation and is possibly my favorite moment of the play.
I need a while to think more on this one as much of the meaning of the play is subtle and has more to do with the psyche of an artist than any simple plot line. But any play that can make me think this much is obviously doing something right.
birdmanseven's review against another edition
1.0
This was a big letdown. I liked the beginning but it got progressively more pretentious. I suppose you could make the argument that that was the whole point, but regardless it wasn't for me.
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