RED

When the first sound effects punctuate the silence, listeners know they have joined a live audience to experience this L.A. Theatre Works staged reading. Ken, a young assistant to Abstract Expressionist painter Mark Rothko, is starting his first day in Rothko's New York studio. Jonathan Groff skillfully projects Ken's hesitancy as he tries to suss out his new job, and his bigger-than-life employer. Alfred Molina, as Rothko, IS bigger than life. He's huge, in voice and temper, and conveys Rothko's immense intellect and artistic vision. Listeners are immediately drawn into the power of this drama, and the script teaches and engages. The sense of being part of the live audience in wait for the next explosion of activity is palpable. A terrific example of the success of listener engagement in recorded plays. R.F.W. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2013]