History

"There is only one thing I fear in life, my friend... One day the black will swallow the red," famed abstract expressionist Mark Rothko's character says in the production.

One of the most acclaimed - and often unhappy - artists of the 20th century, John Logan's Red focuses on Rothko as he paints a group of murals for the expensive and exclusive Four Seasons restaurant. He gives orders to his assistant, Ken, as he mixes the paints, makes the frames, and paints the canvases with his signature abstract style of filling large, luminous canvases with color. Ken, however, brashly questions Rothko's theories of art and his compliance to work on such a commercial project, and the story focuses on the disagreements between teacher and student.

The show won six of its seven 2010 Tony Award nominations, including Best Play, and received the most wins out of any other theatrical production that season. It also received several Drama League and Drama Desk awards the same year.