February 21 — March 18, 2012
On the U.S. Bank Main Stage
By John Logan
Directed by Rose Riordan
Starring Daniel Benzali & Patrick Alparone
An intense bio-drama of the renowned modern artist (and Oregon-raised) Mark Rothko, Red earned critical laurels in its New York run last season. Set in the 1950s, when Rothko was commissioned to create a series of large pieces of art for the new Four Seasons Restaurant, Red tackles big questions about art—what it takes to create it, and where it belongs in our world. But perhaps more importantly, the play invites us to experience a legendary artist through the lens of the assistant brought on to help him with a project Rothko is not so sure he can accept completing.
The New York Times described it as “a portrait of an angry and brilliant mind that asks you to feel the shape and texture of thoughts…as much as any stage work I can think of, Red captures the dynamic relationship between an artist and his creations.”
Performance times:
Tuesday - Sunday evenings at 7:30 p.m
Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m.
Thursday matinees at noon
A full list of performances and dates will appear when you enter the ticketing section of the website.
Red runs approximately 90 minutes with no intermission. Herbal cigarettes are used on stage during this production.
View the cast and creative team bios
View the playbill for Red
Learn more about accessibility options at PCS
Performance Times
Evenings: Tuesday - Sunday at 7:30 p.m.
Matinees: Saturday and Sundays at 2 p.m.,
Thursdays at noon
*Note: These are general performance times. Certain productions may have exceptions. View the season calendar for more information.
This show's run time will be posted below the synopsis at left near the date of the first performance.
Production blog
Internal Landscapes - NOW EXTENDED through April 6!
16 March 2012 & Posted by Kinsley Suer
PCS is excited to announce the opening of its newest gallery show! Presented in partnership with Pearl Gallery & Framing, Internal Landscapes: An Exhibition of the Work of Kelly Williams will be featured on the mezzanine level of the Armory from March 14 - April 6, 2012. In honor of PCS’ current production of Red, many of the pieces displayed echo the abstract expressionist style of the artist Mark Rothko.
MoreRed: Behind the Curtain
01 March 2012 & Posted by Kinsley Suer
In honor of our current production of Red, we’ve compiled some behind-the-scenes photos and insider tidbits detailing the production’s rehearsal process, set construction, prop design and more. The show runs through March 18. Miss it and you might be seeing RED! Okay, bad pun…but we couldn’t resist.
MoreRothko Cookies…in the Armory Café!
29 February 2012 & Posted by Kinsley Suer
There’s no better combination than art and frosting. So, throughout the run of Red, the Armory Café will be serving up some beautiful (and delicious!) Mark Rothko-inspired cookies. The audience in attendance at our opening night reception for Red last Friday got the first glimpse and taste at the Café’s newest creations. And we’ve got the photos to prove it!
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Reviews and Features
Richard Wattenberg | The Oregonian [Review 01 Mar 2012]
Recently, what might be the oldest known piece of abstract art, an engraved stone dating back 100,000 years, appears to have been recovered in a cave in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Art seems to be integral to the human experience, but why? What is the role of art in our lives?
These questions are at the heart of John Logan’s 2009 Tony Award winning play “Red,” which is now receiving a wonderfully well-crafted and thoughtful production from Portland Center Stage. Directed by PCS’s associate artistic director, Rose Riordan, this bio-drama about Portland-bred abstract expressionist Mark Rothko takes us back to 1958-59 when the artist was working on a series of murals intended for New York City’s renowned Four Seasons Restaurant.
read moreBarry Johnson | OPB [Review 01 Mar 2012]
Art can get under your skin, drive you to extremes, bring you to think things you might rather leave unthought. It’s tough, serious business. But then, it can also set your analytical brain to rest and create an entirely different world where the laws of gravity don’t apply and where spirits rule the night.
What am I going on about? Why, Mark Rothko and the bio-drama Red, on the one hand, and Giselle on the other.
read moreGigi Little | Ut Omnia Bene [Review 25 Feb 2012]
I’m not a fan of Rothko or abstract expressionism, especially the types of paintings that appear – literally and figuratively – in the play Red, which we saw last night at Portland Center Stage. Big canvases covered with huge shapes of red and black. At times, I can enjoy the free association thing that happens in your brain when you look at nothing but color or shape, but I tend to be in the “my kid could do that,” camp. Not that I have any kids, but it’s a line Rothko himself delivers in the play when talking about and scoffing over what critics say about him.
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