RED. Mark Rothko. Goodman Theater. Arena Stage. Bob Falls. Finally, after some ten months of conversation the official announcement went out this week. It hit everywhere: Chicago, Washington, New York. I cannot tell you how excited I am about this. I had to give some quotes to the Goodman for the press release. It wasn’t all included, so maybe I should start with my full text.
“To say that I am excited by the challenge of wrestling with this fiercely intelligent play and deeply complex character of Mark Rothko would be an understatement. But to have the opportunity of doing so with Bob Falls at The Goodman in Chicago and then to bring it to the place I call home in Washington, DC at The Arena, two of the greatest theater institutions in America, defies description. I consider the sprawling, bleak and violent “King Lear” we did with Stacy Keach five years ago, to be one of the high water marks of my career. After spending 25 years of doing Shakespeare, that production profoundly shifted my sense of how American Shakespeare can be done: full blooded, passionate, organic, relevant and well-spoken. Now to come back to delve with Bob into the inner workings of the brilliant and volatile mind of this great modern artist in an intimate two character play, gives me the feeling that a new personal best is within reach. I have been yearning to come back to Chicago ever since the Lear, and am deeply grateful that Bob has placed his confidence in me to travel with him on the journey of “Red.” I can’t wait to roll up my sleeves and dig in.”
I posted links to some of the announcements that that hit Wednesday in The Post, Playbll, Chicago Trib. It’s incredible. You can find the links on the PRESS page above. There is so much more to do ahead. I have already started reading Breslin’s incredible biography and had a class work on the play all this past semester, but more of that later. I just want to get all this started. So, here goes. Thanks for reading.
The Making of RED 