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| Colin Friels as Mark Rothko in John Logan's RED |
There is a moment late in John Logan’s Red, the story of the
late expressionist painter Mark Rothko and a (fictional) assistant, Ken, where
the script wants the audience and Ken to think something terrible has happened
to Rothko. And yet somehow, in this production by the Melbourne Theatre
Company, I was entirely unconvinced by the moment and unmoved by the
possibility.
It’s not that the story lacks depth or the production lacks
engaging performances. Both Colin Friels and Andre de Vanny are wonderful to
watch – and the play is rich with ideas. Even if the notion that art should be inspirational
and not just a commodity is a well-worn idea, the conflict in Logan’s play still
makes the story interesting to listen to and with a strong lighting design
(Matt Scott) and a beautiful sound design (Tristan Meredith), this production
is beautiful visually and aurally.
But I wasn’t moved. I wasn’t inspired. It made me think but
it never made me feel. And there are moments in the play – one towards the
climax, which I alluded to already, and one early on, the priming of the canvas
which should have been uplifting and exciting. It wasn’t. It’s like all the
elements were there, but nothing quite clicked.
I do wonder if this show might have benefited from a more
intimate theatre or a more intimate set. These characters are essentially stuck
in a room together (not literally, but practically and emotionally), but the
Sumner Theatre and the warehouse set made it feel the characters were almost
lost up there in the empty space. The characters should have felt more like
they were crawling all over each other rather than dancing around one another.
I admire director Alkinos Tsilimidos’ film work, his first
feature Everynight, Everynight is a masterpiece. And I respect his close working
relationship with Colin Friels, but I’m not sure a film director was the right
choice here. The component elements seem to all be there, on stage, staring at
us, but they don’t quite come together.
And there’s nothing more frustrating than seeing a missed
opportunity on stage. What do I see when I see a production that doesn’t quite
work? I see red.
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