Theatrius
  • Now Playing
  • All Reviews
  • Writers
  • Reflections
  • Millennial Notes
  • Join Us
  • About Us
  • Search Icon

Theatrius

Theater Reviews—San Francisco and Beyond

“Red” Elevates Art, but Fumbles Heart, at Bread & Butter, S.F.

“Red” Elevates Art, but Fumbles Heart, at Bread & Butter, S.F.

April 4, 2018 Ross Callahan

John Logan’s Duet of Acrobatic Thinkers

by Ross Callahan

What leaps out at me from “Red”? Their sudden bursts of anger. The vitriol! Rothko slamming down his paint brush, immediately echoing an abuser throwing a tantrum. And a deep sympathy: This Rothko is a child pretending to be a master.

Bruce Avery (Rothko) and Nick Moore (Ken) excel at confrontation and anger. Their frenzied salvos assault us in the intimate Phoenix Theater.

Bruce Avery as Rothko

When Ken confronts his mentor, they stand face to face, feverishly naming brilliant variations of RED: rust on a boat, tomatoes, arterial blood, apples….on and on. Their duet of anger and passion creates a believable intimacy, because Rothko finds the fight he is looking for. And Ken must struggle to not be blotted out.

What brings them together makes sense on the level of emotion. Their intimacy advances through a coherent, passionately well-acted dance of desperation. Both seek recognition and truth.

Nick Moore (Ken) and Bruce Avery (Rothko)

While anger and desperation is running on all cylinders, love and vulnerability sputter. When “Red” reaches the crucial moment of tenderness, Rothko’s painter’s assistant cradles his boss in his arms. The young man lovingly wipes the red paint off  Rothko’s hands, like a mother cleaning and taking care of a baby. I felt relief—finally, the contact we are waiting for!

But the intimacy seems not to be earned by a relationship that grows before our eyes. And so, the scene between Master and Disciple strikes a dissatisfying chord.

Nick Moore and Bruce Avery

When the artist’s assistant, Ken, reveals that his parents were murdered, I expect to feel his excruciating vulnerability. But the story of Ken’s murdered parents fails to engage us, falling flat. We miss the lasting impact of carnage on Ken’s character. Rather, it feels like playwright John Logan’s ploy to make Ken more vulnerable.

Rothko and Ken’s connection misfires, leaving me with the feeling that their intimacy is missing. Another qualm comes from the passage of time in the play. Although “Reds” depicts two years in Rothko’s studio, the two of them seem hermetically sealed, with little sense of time passing. We wonder how time affects their struggles.

John Logan’s “Red” provokes thought and analysis, leaving a deep impression. But it’s hard to escape the feeling that while it has potential, “Red” offers more spectacle than heart.

“Red” by John Logan, directed by Lana Palmer, by Bread & Butter Theatre, at Phoenix Theatre, San Francisco, through Saturday, March 31, 2018. Info: breadandbuttertheatre.com

Cast: Bruce Avery (Rothko) and Nick Moore (Ken).


Plays

Post navigation

NEXT
“Shifting Spaces” Explores the True Self, at Those Women, Berkeley
PREVIOUS
“Saturday Night” Romances with Charm, at 42nd Street Moon, S.F.
Comments are closed.

Menu

  • Now Playing
  • All Reviews
  • Writers
  • Reflections
  • Millennial Notes
  • Join Us
  • About Us

BLM

Black Lives Matter

Current Shows

  • “Trouble in Mind” Liberates Black Lives on Broadway—Streaming ACT
  • “My Name is … Johnny Cash” Rocks & Rolls—Streaming 6th Street
  • “Bird on a Tree Branch” Explores Secrets of the Patriarchy—Streaming Phoenix
  • “[hieroglyph]” Exposes U.S. Racism & Sexual Violence—Streaming SF Playhouse
  • “The Art of Sacrifice”: A Venomous Mother-Daughter Match—Streaming Remote
  • “Interlude” Rewinds a Gay Black Artist’s Life During Covid—Streaming NCTC 
  • “Thom Pain” Explores Angst & Self-Doubt—Streaming Los Altos Stage   
  • “Strange Courtesies” Climaxes Black History Month—Streaming The Stage
  • “Lone Mountain” Tour Reveals Gay Side—Streaming Rhino
  • “Binding Ties” Shines Migrant Stories on Rail Station—Streaming Oakland
  • “Smithtown” Awakes Us to Tech Tragedy—Streaming Key West
  • “Fairfield” Elementary Unhinged over Black History—Streaming The Pear
  • “warplay” on the Edge of Fear and Love—Streaming NCTC
  • “The Catastrophist” Puts Prophecy under Microscope—Streaming Marin
  • >> Streaming Theater >> Update: January 20

About us:

If you want to see the best plays & performances around the San Francisco Bay or beyond, read our reviews. We promise to give you a true report on the best shows.
Bay Area Critics Circle

Barry David Horwitz, Editor of Theatrius, is a Voting Member of the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics' Circle, SFBATCC. Follow us on: facebook.com

Subscribe for upcoming reviews!
Loading
© 2021   All Rights Reserved.