Why? That question is repeated over and over again when discussing Mark Rothko’s Seagram Building murals. Commissioned in 1958 but never delivered, the abstract expressionist paintings are dark and brooding, much like Rothko himself. It’s believed he thought they were to hang in a public location, but the planners said he always knew they were going into the Four Seasons restaurant. That’s one excuse. Another is he decided the restaurant was too pretentious for his work. He never fully explained why he returned the fee and kept the paintings. Always temperamental and emotional, Rothko committed suicide in 1970. This dust-up is the basis for the play “RED.” With J. Barrett Cooper as Rothko and Brandon Meeks as his assistant Ken, the two-person play is an insight into artistic expression and the thoughts behind those creative emotions.