An intense shade of ‘Red’ at Stage Left

April 6, 2023 Updated Thu., April 6, 2023 at 3:23 p.m.

Mark Rothko (Jamie Flanery) and his assistant, Ken (Raymond Horn) are in Rothko’s studio in the Stage Left production of John Logan’s “Red.” (Stage Left Theater)

By Ed Condran For The Spokesman-Review

If You Go

'Red'

When: Friday through April 23; showtimes 7 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays, and 2 p.m. Sundays.

Where: Stage Left Theater, 108 W. 3rd Ave.

Cost: $20 for senior, student and military and $25 general admission.

Info: (509) 838-9727, www.stagelefttheaterorg

On to Nationals

Stage Left Theater's production of "Pass Over" brought home numerous first-place awards from the Region IX AACT Theatre Competition, held in McMinnville, Oregon, and has qualified for national competition in Louisville, Kentucky, in June.

The theater's production of Antoinette Chinonye Nwandu's riff on "Waiting for Godot" was earned "outstanding" awards for overall production, direction by Malcolm Pelles, ensemble for Dahveed Bullis, Matt Slater and Danny Anderson, scenic and sound design by Jeremy Whittington, as well as backstage congeniality for Michael Schmidt.

The American Association of Community Theatre's National Festival will be June 12-17. Whittington, Stage Left's managing and artistic director, said the company expects the trip will cost $14,000.

To raise money, the theater will host a fundraiser in early May. Until then, supporters are welcome to make direct donations to the cause at stagelefttheater.org/donate-1.

After the release of Woody Allen’s “Hannah and her Sisters” hit screens in 1986, the word was that the inspiration for the pompous artist, Frederick, brilliantly played by Max Von Sydow, was Mark Rothko.

“I don’t sell my work by the yard,” Frederick cracked as he tried to make a deal with a rock star, a line that sounds like it would come from Rothko, who is the focal point of the compelling play “Red.”

The common denominator between Frederick and Rothko is that they refuse to sell their art to those who they believe wouldn’t appreciate it.

Rothko was faced with the commerce and art dilemma. It’s at the core of “Red.” The Latvian-American abstract painter is in his New York studio during the late ’50s. Rothko is commissioned to paint a group of murals for the posh Four Seasons restaurant in Manhattan.

A discussion with his fictitious assistant covers Rothko’s theories of art and work on a commercial project, as well as his distaste for emerging pop art. Rothko stops working on the project and returns the money and explains to his assistant that the Four Seasons is not the appropriate setting for his murals.

The intimate “Red,” which won the Tony for best play in 2010, among five other Tonys, will play well in the cozy Stage Left Theater, where it appears Friday through April 23.

“I love the immediacy of ‘Red,’ ” director Dawn Taylor Reinhardt said. “The play was presented to me by the theater here. I read the play and fell in love with it.”

The dialogue written by John Logan appealed to Taylor-Reinhardt.

“I fell in love with the language, since it’s so powerful,” Taylor Reinhardt said. “The monologues are poetically written, but in an intense, wonderful manner.”

Rothko, whose family immigrated from Latvia to Portland when he was 10, is complex and surprising.

“Rothko is a beautiful genius,” said Jamie Flanery, who plays Rothko. “Rothko is tragically drawn. He’s a tortured guy, who challenges everything. His ideas are contemporary and so he’s relatable now.”

Taylor Reinhardt believes Stage Left’s close quarters will be a benefit for the production.

“The audience will feel like they’re in the studio with Rothko,” Taylor Reinhardt said. “You’ll be right there with the characters.”

In the play, Rothko is a fascinating subject, an intellectual trailblazer. However, he has his demons, and is plagued by his connection to his work.

“His paintings are like his children,” Taylor Reinhardt said. “He also has a hard time dealing with the start of Andy Warhol.”

Taylor Reinhardt lived in New York City and was part of the city’s art scene during the gritty ’80s.

“I spent many hours going to art galleries in New York,” Taylor Reinhardt said. “It was well after Rothko died, but I was around many artists and they had their issues.

“Rothko’s drug of choice was alcohol and nicotine. The drugs numbed the tragic, broken souls that most artists are. Rothko was a fascinating artist and person. You can see why a play like ‘Red’ was written.”