Red returns to London this summer with a bang! Directed by Michael Grandage and written by John Logan, this emotionally charged drama leaves you gasping for more. 

After a stilted start, in the form of a fire alarm and complete audience evacuation, Red already fizzled with drama before it even began. Alarm attended to, the audience settled back into their seats and awaited Alfred Molina's anticipated first movement.

A stage littered with artistic paraphernalia, canvases, paint pots, and an all important record player, the audience were drawn into the secluded and dark artistic world of Mark Rothko. A celebrated impressionist, Rothko is charged with his biggest project yet, creating a series of murals for the newly built and grandiose Four Seasons restaurant. Enlisting the help of young upstart Ken (Alfred Enoch), the pair begin to grapple with not only the art but Rothko's challenged mind.

In a series of perfectly directed vignette's Alfred Molina (as Rothko) and Enoch move around the stage and tackle the intricate dialogue with pure magic. For someone who wouldn't class themselves as a lover of 'Art', even describing one of Rothko's paintings as 'I could do that' (a remark I now of course regret), I was enthralled. Running at only 90 minutes, this fast-paced play never leaves you wanting, or bored. Molina and Enoch's obvious chemistry brought the production into another realm, as in one stand out moment when the pair are tasked with preparing a canvas, both men moved with such flowing synchronicity it was almost like watching a ballet.  

Every part of this production has a purpose from the 'scene changes' to the music, each element works to highlight the paintings on stage. With the lighting used to flatter each strip of red and black, the paintings began to take on a new meaning, as Rothko finally admits to a desperate Ken why his colour choices have changed, the audience are shown the man behind the egotistical bravado.

In a final crescendo, Rothko quits from the project all together with a 'no fuss' attitude only he could muster and Red becomes a play that will a stay in my memory forever. At the risk of sounding cliche Red finally made me realise what Art is and why Rothko and his seemingly simple squares are such masterpieces. Red is what all dramas aspire to be, but unfortunately for everyone else, I don't think anyone could surpass it.