The awe-struck Ken arrives at the New York studio of the abstract expressionist in the late 1950s. The artist, Mark Rothko, has been commissioned to paint a series of murals for the prestigious Four Seasons restaurant for a fee of several thousand dollars. (About $375,000.00 in 2024 dollars.)

True to the man it explores, "Red" revolves around a great contradiction. "Red" is a perfectly formed work with dialogue that crackles along. It has snippets of humor at just the right moments. When asked why he never paints outdoors, Rothko replies, "Nature doesn't do it for me. The light's all wrong."

"Red" won the 2010 Tony Award for best new play.