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It’s been described as philosophical. Red, the latest production from the Waterworks Players, showed on the opening weekend it’s also very much a ‘play of ideas’. 

First produced in 2007, the story by John Logan covers two years in the late 1950s when abstract expressionist painter Mark Rothko was working on a series of murals for The Four Seasons restaurant. There are only two characters, Rothko (Jordan Whiley) and his assistant Ken (Elijah Logue). Both actors have appeared multiple times on the Waterworks stage. Sarah Varela, a long-time actor, is making her directorial debut. Her assistant director/stage manager is Erik Varela. 

Rothko is most famous for layered blocks of color meant to evoke emotion and reveal the artist’s inner world. How colors (particularly red, but also black and white) evoke meaning, memory, and emotion is a central focus of the characters’ discussions. These interactions also cover the value and meaning of art, in general, and commercialism, in particular, not to mention artistic integrity (Rothko scorns the up-and-coming pop artists like Warhol, as well as his predecessors, like Picasso who will now do anything for money, like sign napkins). 

Two men at the center

Don’t let all this abstract stuff scare you off; at its undoubtedly red beating heart, this is a play about the psychologies of two men at very different stages in their lives. Both are brought to life by the two actors who give them an intensity that’s fascinating to watch. While Ken is a fictional character, Elijah’s Logue’s performance is robust and shows off the character’s development. Ken, an aspiring artist, begins wide-eyed, happy to be working for an icon of the art world, even if his employer, Rothko, is surly, bullying, self-pitying and lecture-prone by turns. Watching Ken’s developing voice is a delight.

While he starts by fetching and carrying, moving rapidly about the stage, by the end of the play, not only is Ken standing up to Rothko, but he is using Rothko’s own ideas and language to do it, standing taller and stiller and insisting on his own value. On the other hand, Rothko is an acknowledged artist who’s beginning to realize that perhaps the world is moving on without him. He fears becoming irrelevant and this plays out through his interactions with Ken. 

Jordan Whiley (this is his second time in this role) is by turns professorial and distant and frighteningly emotional. It would be easy to present the character as a self-important snob, but Whiley’s portrayal has complexity; he has re-created Rothko in voice and body (going so far as to shave the top of his head to better resemble the artist). Both actors show their characters’ vulnerable sides when they discuss traumas from their childhoods. Every moment, if not always pleasant, is fascinating thanks to these two actors.

‘The characters practically dance’ 

Because much of the idea of the play is conveyed through dialog, it could very easily turn into two people giving alternating monologues. Director Sarah Varela doesn’t let this happen. In the heat of their discussions, the characters practically dance about the studio set and each other. The moment when the two of them together paint the base layer on a large canvas (set to Beethoven’s Kreutzer Sonata) is an exhilarating bit of choreography as they move under, over and around one another.

On the whole, Varela’s blocking underscores the idea that this is a working art studio. The set dressing includes actual paint the characters interact with repeatedly that gets on their skin and clothes.  The set, designed and built by Billy Tucker (another long-time Waterworks member), was created using photos of Rothko’s actual studio in the Bowery of New York City. The small Rothko-esque pieces seen placed about were created by various members of the Waterworks Players cast and crew – all of whom deserve shout-outs – particularly, sound design, props, costumes, and lighting.

When can I see the Waterworks Players show? 

Waterworks is a hidden gem and it shines with a ruby-red light throughout this show. The remaining performances are Friday, May 2 and Saturday, May 3, at 7:30 p.m. each night at 25 SMI Way in Farmville. 

The cost is $12, and tickets can be purchased online at Waterworksplayers.org/buytickets or at the box office 30 minutes prior to performances. Keep in mind, this play runs a bit over 90 minutes and is without intermission.

Editor’s note: Rhonda Brock wrote this review for the Farmville Herald.