Red — Nominee for Best Play

Opened:
April 1, 2010

Author:
John Logan

The Story:
A portrait of ambition, vulnerability and the nature of creativity, the play is about Abstract Expressionist painter Mark Rothko, who has just landed the biggest commission in the history of modern art. But when his young assistant gains the confidence to challenge him, Rothko faces the unbearable possibility that his triumphant achievement could also be his undoing.

Based On:
Logan’s fascination with Rothko’s Seagrams murals, which he viewed at the Tate Modern in London, became the basis of the play.

Show History:
The play premiered off at London’s Donmar Warehouse in December 2009 before transferring to Broadway.

Producers:
Produced by Arielle Tepper Madover, Stephanie P. McClelland, Matthew Byam Shaw, Neal Street, Fox Theatricals, Ruth Hendel/Barbara Whitman, Philip Hagemann/Murray Rosenthal, The Donmar Warehouse

Other Honors for this Production:
—Broadway.com Audience Award nomination for Favorite New Broadway Play
—Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Play
—Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Broadway Play
—Drama League Award nomination for Distinguished Production of a Play

Fun Fact:
The Rothko paintings on which the play is based were supposed to grace the Four Seasons restaurant in New York’s Seagrams building. The artist was reportedly paid $35,000, which (at the time) was the highest commission of the century.