Red - Wyndham's Theatre

Cheers, have just got row B for the next bank holiday weekend.

They do seem to have form. Wish I had waited on this one!

The thing is on paper this seems like a hit. Alfred Molina is a very good and respected actor who doesn't do a lot of theatre in London. Alfred Enoch is an upcoming name with some solid work behind.

Apart from being about Rothko I still feel I have no idea what this play is about and who it is for from a marketing point of view. Molina isn't Nicole Kidman and I am amazed that £89 tickets were even on offer let alone knocked down before it even opened.

The issue is it is really hard to producers and audiences to judge a hit based on story or names. For audiences we have got used to buying in advance through FOMO but how many shows are true sell outs that are impossible to get tickets for?
The producers clearly thought this would be a big hit. They wouldn't have cast someone like Molina if they didn't think they could flog expensive tickets for him and the show.

Just passed Alfred Enoch grinning away on the tube and tucking into, and well deserved I'm sure, a Wok to Work!

He is, but I always think his neck is very long. Or perhaps his head is small. He reminds me a bit of a giraffe.

Well. I'd hate to be the person who has to wash Freddie E's white t-shirt every day. The Bold 2in1 they must go through.

I rather liked the play, I'd never seen it before. Very funny and rather touching at the end. The two Freddie's were smashing but Freddie E's dimples stole the show though. He's a peach. I may take him home.

Just came out of tonight's performance, and I really liked this.

Given how somber & serious the blurb made it seem, this was a surprisingly fun & funny play that (mostly) zipped along nicely. It's definitely not for everyone, and the audience seemed split between those giving a standing ovation at the end and those shuffling in their seats during the performance. Knowing a little about people like Jackson Pollock and (later) pop art is probably useful, but I found this an engaging play that touched on pretty universal themes; stuff like the value of art, selling out, and time.

If the play had been too reverential towards Rothko then it would have been insufferable, but I felt it held a good balance; presenting him by turns as smart & eloquent, but also insufferable, pretentious, and deeply flawed.

The staging & sets were simple but effective, as was the lighting. And it goes without saying that both Alfreds were great (especially Molina).

The one possible negative for me was that the selection of paintings felt at times too literal in terms of reflecting the narrative. In the context of Rothko's speeches about his paintings being nuanced and alive, it felt too obvious/cheesy for the final two paintings to reflect the characters' choices. In contrast, the earlier mmoments of painting, or preparing the canvases were exhilarating.

All in all though, an absolute treat at £10. Thanks demonbarber for mentioning the deal.

I’m going to add my name to really liking this

But get a cheap ticket!

I loved this, and like Daniel I was a bit in awe of it too. Splendid performances, script, staging and music. I would go and see it again in a heartbeat.

For me it’s about the old acquiescing to the new. The old guard passing the baton. Dionysus and Apollo. I loved how the themes were reinforced through the art, the lighting, the music.

But man, the seats in the Wyndham are bloody uncomfortable.

It makes sense when you watch the play's sequel and realize that Ken is Batman.

I didn't think much of the play. It's well done, though. Alfred Molina is a master of his craft, and I found the relationship with Alfred Enoch's Ken believable. I loved the design and thought this was overall worth my time, even though the writing was overweeningly pretentious, full of allusions to philosophy and classical myth without really managing to say anything about the nature of creativity.