Lost Nation Theater presents Tony Winning Play about painter Mark Rothko - “RED” Set amid the swiftly changing cultural tide of the late 1950s, Red is a startling snapshot of a brilliant artist at the height of his fame.
Lost Nation Theater presents Tony Winning Play about painter Mark Rothko - “RED”
all photos courtesy of Robert Eddy, First Light Studios
Set amid the swiftly changing cultural tide of the late 1950s, Red is a startling snapshot of a brilliant artist at the height of his fame.
What do you See?
“What do you see?” Superstar painter Mark Rothko asked that question repeatedly.
If you want to see a completely immersive, multi-faceted and absorbing entertainment experience, look no further than
John Logan’s Tony-Award Winner for Best Play RED – presented by Lost Nation Theater, your award-winning professional theater, Thursdays–Sundays, June 2–19 at Montpelier City Hall Arts Center.
A thrilling bio-drama exploring the many shades of famed artist Mark Rothko, Red is set in Rothko's Bowery studio,1958, while the artist and his assistant work feverishly to create a series of paintings commissioned for the Four Seasons in the brand-new Seagram Building on Park Avenue. At the time, it was the biggest commission - ever. “Deftly conjures what most plays about artists don't: the exhilaration of the act." —New Yorker. “Electrifying” gushes Variety.
During the play we see and experience the creation of these monumental paintings onstage. While Rothko works, he talks about the meaning of art. Brilliant but insecure, morose yet very funny, Rothko schools Ken (his assistant), but is ultimately challenged by him.
From the Oscar-winning writer of Gladiator, The Aviator, Hugo, and Skyfall, RED grapples with questions about art, the creation of art, the dynamic relationships between an artist, his work, his colleagues – and the dynamics between master/servant, father/son, teacher/student and old guard/rising stars. John Logan’s Red is simultaneously full of emotion, intellectual ferocity, and action.
One of the most riveting plays to hit Broadway, this sizzling 90-minutedramais hailed by The New York Times as “Intense and Exciting”. LNT’s production stars founding artistic director Kim Allen Bent as Rothko and NYC actor Levi Penley as Ken. The show is directed by Douglas Sprigg (longtime chair of Middlebury College Dept. of Theater).
The production design is being handled by Mark Evancho on Sets & Lights (recent LNT work includes Always, Patsy Cline, The Mystery of Irma Vep, Picasso at the Lapin Agile, A Doll House) and costuming by Cora Fauser (Hairspray, Judevine, Stone, Lyddie, Mystery of Irma Vep).
Bent is transforming himself for RED. He says "Playing Mark Rothko is one of the greatest acting challenges I’ve ever undertaken. Physically, vocally, and temper-mentally he’s not a character who’s particularly close to me, but I do feel a strong kinship with him artistically in the intensity of his devotion to his art. John Logan’s script incorporates incredibly passionate and articulate statements that Rothko made about his work, and it’s been exciting, even exhilarating, to have the opportunity to speak Rothko's words and to find ways of making them my own."
For Levi Penley “The relationship of Ken and Mark is full of contrasts, connections, and explosions… Ken is intriguing. He is the perfect contrast to Rothko yet also the perfect companion. It's easy for me to empathize with him and it's difficult not to see so much of myself. He's everything a young actor like me wants in a role, and so much more."
Director Douglas Sprigg states “With this play, I was introduced to the complex personality behind the paintings., As a result, I was motivated to look at the paintings again. In doing so, I gained a new appreciation of the emotional expressiveness of Rothko’s massive, shimmering rectangles. My hope and expectation is that audience members, as they experience Rothko’s struggles toward artistic fulfillment, might make connections with their own personal and professional struggles.”
Raw and provocative, RED is a searing portrait of an artist's ambition and vulnerability, capturing Rothko’s wit, contrary nature, and humor.
See it. Thursday-Sunday, June 2-19.
Curtain is:7:30pm Thu thru Saturday and 2pm Sun. Tickets are: $30 Fri & Sat; $25 Thu & Sun. Special tickets Preview Thu June 2 and Sun June 5: $15. Students & seniors (age 65): $5 Off.
Join the Party on Opening Night Friday June 3 with live music and a cash bar provided by Sweet Melissa’s.
Lost Nation Theater is wheelchair accessible, and offers an assisted listening system.
Call! Go Online! Or get tickets at the City Clerk’s Office on the first floor of Montpelier City Hall. You can also take a chance on getting tickets at the door. (1 hour before curtain).
For tickets & information: call 802-229-0492, or click here