By Kharisma McIlwaine
Following eight sold-out performances across two Los Angeles runs, the multimedia one-man stage production “Red” comes to Philadelphia for a special two-day engagement. “Red” is written and performed by Philadelphia native Todd Anthony and directed by Emmy-nominated actor Crystal Lee Brown — also a Philadelphia native — in her directorial debut.
“Red” brings audiences inside the extraordinary journey of Malcolm Little — known as “Red”— as he transforms into Malcolm X, one of the most influential voices of the 20th century. Blending theater and film, the production offers an intimate, deeply human portrayal of the internal shifts that shaped his voice, vision, and legacy, exploring the tension between rage and redemption, identity and purpose, and faith and transformation. Anthony spoke with the SUN about the importance of sharing this specific chapter of Malcolm X’s life and the significance of bringing “Red” to Philadelphia for a powerful homecoming.
The concept for “Red” was born from encouragement by several people, following Anthony’s experience playing Malcolm X in another production — a role he had always wanted.
“The idea of “Red” and the one man show came about from a conversation I was having with a good friend of mine and fellow actor, Amin Joseph,” Anthony said. “We were talking about Malcolm, and he asked me what I wanted to do with it. I said, ‘I really want to do a TV show.’ He said, ‘We’ve seen a lot done on Malcolm X, but I’m sure you can even do it differently, [we’ve] never seen anybody take a deep dive into Red and Detroit Red — who that man is, and why, and psychologically where he was in life at that point in time. When he said that, it immediately clicked.”
“I’ve always desired to see a TV show about his life,” Anthony said. “I said, ’You know what? I might as well start writing it.’ So, I wrote the TV pilot first, and upon shopping that to some very close producer friends of mine, they all echoed what my wife (Lena Anthony, producer of “Red”) and a few mentors had been saying, which was, ‘I can see this, but I really think you should do a one man show and attach more IP to this.’ It was just confirmation that God was, like, ‘You need to do your one man show.’”
From starting the script in June, to completing it by August and debuting to a sold-out crowd in November, Anthony’s journey with “Red” has been swift. Anthony explains the transformative experience that is at the heart of the production.
“In “Red,” we go from 1942 until the time he’s released from prison,” Anthony said. “The story explores his time in prison, having reflectionary moments of his upbringing and how he got to Boston. He’s having moments of discovery with his parenting, his trauma and how that has played a part into who he’s become. We start to uncover how he was introduced to the Nation of Islam and Allah. “Red” reveals that there’s more to him as a man than he thought. We dig into that a bit, by showing how everybody wrestles with past and purpose. For him, it was the struggle of letting go of the trauma, the old street ways and stepping into purpose. We show that with a duel between Red and Malcolm within himself at the same time live on stage. That’s where we see the breaking of old and stepping into the new — Malcolm X.”
To prepare for the role, Anthony dove deep into research.
“I downloaded the audiobook of “The Autobiography of Malcolm X,” he said. “I read it years back, but this time I wanted to hear it and just kind of listen to the narration. Laurence Fishburne does an amazing narration of the book. It allowed me to see the world even more — just where he was as a man, his upbringing and where he was to go. There’s so much footage out there now. I did a deep dive into his old speeches and interviews. I rewatched documentaries like “Who Killed Malcolm X?” I [also] came across an interview that I found out was very pivotal in the start of the tension within himself and The Nation. There were moments and speeches that I haven’t seen in film or on stage that I wanted to incorporate. I wanted to make sure I was coming from a point that I don’t think we’ve explored yet, which is the human side of him.”
As a multidisciplinary artist, Anthony incorporates interactive elements in “Red” to keep audiences engaged while preserving the live theater experience.
“I’m a television, film and stage actor and it’s a one-man stage play,” Anthony said. “I believe in my ability to keep the audience engaged; however, I think it would be cool to incorporate film with this and in a way where it doesn’t feel like I’m watching a film and I’m still in a theater space. We shot some sequences that take place in his life that are tied to the story and the characters that I’m talking about on stage, so that when you come back to the live portion, you at least have some imagery in your mind of these characters that I’m also reenacting on stage. It just helps frame the world out a little more, and it gives you a break in between. It’s like there’s never a break except for the intermission.”
Anthony reflects on what it means to bring “Red” to Philadelphia — the city that shaped him.
“As an artist, bringing the show to Philly has always been a dream of mine,” he said. “It’s been a dream to bring projects back home and to give back to a city, and the arts that helped birth me and shape me and my journey as an artist and as a man. I’m not the man I am today, I’m not the artist I am today, I’m not even the youth pastor I am today if I hadn’t grown up in Philadelphia. It’s a testament to the city and to the people that help me. My family, my friends — but also working in entertainment with all those people that have always said, ‘We believe in what you’re doing — we want to shed light on that.’”
“This is a thank you to say, ‘I’m making it, I’m still doing it, and hopefully I’m making you proud in the city.’ That’s what this means to bring “Red” back — it means everything,” Anthony said. “It’s more than just bringing a project. It’s different when you make it out of your hometown, you’re successful at what you do and then you can say, ‘I created this on my own.’ Now, with the help of my wife, who’s from Philly and Crystal Lee Brown, who’s directing this, who’s [also] from Philadelphia, we’re bringing “Red” home, and it means a lot to all of us.”
As he prepares for the Philadelphia run, Anthony offers a final reflection on the importance of open-mindedness, education, and the spiritual lessons at the heart of Malcolm X’s journey.
“Just come with an open mind,” Anthony said. “Don’t come with the idea of what you think the story may be, [or] come with the mindset of I’m going to learn something new. I want people to bring their young nephews, sons and daughters — bring the next generation. I have young children. I have an 18-year-old that’s graduating high school and just understanding where education is now — especially Black history and American history — things are being removed, eliminated, rewritten and whitewashed. They don’t even really teach about Malcolm X primarily in schools anymore. You hear about Martin Luther King and about the figures they want you to hear about.”
“The most important part that I think we all can gain from a story like this is to understand that color, while it is an important thing here in this life, it is the least of our lives, in a sense,” Anthony continued. “Meaning even Malcolm discovered that his walk with God is spiritual more than it is physical. Once he went to Mecca, he discovered that the things he had been taught were all wrong. I’m a Christian, and my walk with God has transformed me to understand that I have to approach things spiritually first before I just look at the face value of things. I think we can get better as a culture physically if we learn to operate spiritually first, and we’ll deal with each other better. We’ll then know how to allow others to deal with us, because now we know how to deal amongst ourselves.”
Follow “Red” and Todd Anthony across social media platforms @redthestageplay @_toddanthony. “Red” will be at the Independence Seaport Museum July 10–11, 2026. For more information on tickets and showtimes, visit: https://bit.ly/3PEtHte.
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