Circle's Edge's “Red,” February 23 through March 3

Friday, February 23, through Sunday, March 3

Brush & Barrel, 1801 Second Street, Coralville IA

Described by the New York Times as “intense and exciting” and by The New Yorker as “smart, eloquent entertainment,” Tony-winning author John Logan's two-character Red enjoys a February 23 through March 3 run hosted by Circle's Edge, an offshoot of City Circle Theatre Company, with this acclaimed drama about noted painter Mark Rothko being staged in an actual art studio: Coralville's social painting and crafting venue Brush & Barrel.

As Red begins, the year is 1958, and master abstract expressionist Mark Rothko has just landed the biggest commission in the history of modern art: a series of murals for New York’s famed Four Seasons Restaurant. In the two fascinating years that follow, the artist works feverishly with his much younger assistant Ken on the completion of Rothko's masterpiece. But when Ken gains the confidence to begin challenging the painter, Rothko faces the agonizing possibility that his crowning achievement could also become his undoing. Provocative, thrilling, funny, deeply moving, and the recipient of six Tony Awards, John Logan's Red delivers an arresting portrait of an artist’s ambition and vulnerability as he tries to create a definitive work for an extraordinary setting, with the play lauded by The Guardian as "something rare in modern drama: a totally convincing portrait of the artist as a working visionary."

Coralville's Circle’s Edge is devoted to presenting thrilling dramas of intimate theatre focused on actor, text, and storytelling. The company provides exciting opportunities for our thriving talent and showcases unique spaces in the community, with the designed result being thought-provoking theatre that engages audiences to grow and ask questions. Janet Morlan directs Red for Circle's Edge, with Jacob Kilburg serving as props designer and Tara McGovern as stage manager. In the role originated on Broadway by Alfred Molina, Kehry Anson Lane portrays the fierce, troubled genius Mark Rothko, while Ellis Fontana appears as Ken, a role that won a Tony for Broadway portrayer Eddie Redmayne.

Red will be performed in the Brush & Barrel studio from February 23 through March 3, with performances Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Admission is $16, and more information and tickets are available by calling 319-248-9370 and visiting CoralvilleArts.org.