*The Mountaintop is a new play that imagines Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s last night on earth after delivering his “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech. Jon Michael Hill (Superior Donuts, Elementary) stars as Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Amanda Warren (East New York, Gossip Girl) also stars in The Mountaintop as Camae, a young maid at the Lorraine Motel. The play is a fictional encounter that raises provocative questions about one of the world’s most inspiring individuals and human rights leaders.
It’s April 3, 1968, and Martin Luther King, Jr. returns to the Lorraine Motel. When he orders room service, a young maid arrives with a revelation. Dr. King confronts unwelcome truths as a lightning storm rages outside. The legacy of America’s most revered civil rights leader is laid bare to reveal his profound humanity. It is a single night however it is a reckoning with racism, righteousness, and the rocky path toward justice.
The Mountaintop reunites director Patricia McGregor and playwright Katori Hall, who first worked together in 2012 for the world premiere of Hall’s Hurt Village at the Signature Theatre Company in New York. McGregor is also the Artistic Director of New York Theatre Workshop and has previously directed Skeleton Crew and Lights Out: Nat “King” Cole at Geffen Playhouse. For tickets and information about The Mountaintop, visit: GeffenPlayhouse.org.
Historical Background:
In 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was in Memphis, Tennessee to speak out on behalf of the Memphis sanitation workers who went on strike regarding the death of two workers crushed by a malfunctioning truck. The workers dealt with continuous mistreatment and denial of their civil rights. A week before his assassination, King led a demonstration through downtown Memphis which resulted in the death of one reporter as well as a multitude of injuries and property damages. The poor work conditions and pay the sanitation workers suffered angered the black community and encouraged them to speak out on behalf of other issues concerning civil rights.
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The post Jon Michael Hill and Amanda Warren star in provocative new play : The Geffen Playhouse Welcomes Katori Hall’s ‘The Mountaintop’ Through July 9 appeared first on EURweb.
