The Mountaintopis an amazing glimpse into the life of one of the 20th Century’s most important figures, Dr. Martin Luther King. King is undoubtedly the person most associated with the 1960s civil rights movement, which he led until his assassination in 1968. Playwright Katori Hall exposes the personal side of this powerful leader.
The play begins late in the evening. An exhausted King returns to his Memphis hotel room after delivering one of his most famous speeches. Finally alone after facing a crowd of thousands earlier in the day, King goes about the quiet business of preparing for his following day’s activities. He calls the front desk to request a cup of coffee. When it arrives, courtesy of a hotel maid, King is beginning to feel a bit lonely and perhaps paranoid. He also can’t help but notice that this is a very attractive young woman. He asks her to stay for a smoke. Thus begins the brief relationship between this well-known figure and an unknown maid named Camae (pronounced Cam-MAY).
The Mountaintop offers juicy star turns for its two performers. No wonder, then, that the recent Broadway production (at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theater) starred Samuel L. Jackson and Angela Bassett. It closed in January 2012.
In the Milwaukee Rep production, wisely staged at the Milwaukee Repertory’s more intimate theater, the role of King is played by New York actor J. Bernard Calloway. He originated the role of Delray in Broadway’s Tony Award-winning musical, Memphis. Calloway gives a memorable performance as King, riveting the audience through this exploration of King’s life and legacy. Playwright Katori Hall demonstrates a keen ear for dialogue, and she deliberately heightens the sexual tension between King and Camae. Director May Adrales creates such a well-balanced show that the play’s duration seems much briefer than its actual running time.
Nikiya Mathis, as Camae, is also a newcomer to Milwaukee theater. She completely takes ownership of her character, creating the sassy, hard-drinking, chain smoking and streetwise young woman. The audience learns a bit about her history, too, although the majority of the play’s focus is on King. Camae knows her effect on men, and she uses it to full advantage here.
The theater’s seating has been split in half, with the stage dissecting the row of seats. The marvelous set duplicates the actual Memphis hotel room where King stayed. Even the fabric pattern in an easy chair is taken directly from the actual room (which is now a museum). Lighting and sound increase the play’s dramatic clout (it both rains and snows during the show). The costumes – particularly Camae’s maid outfit – fit the authentic feel of the entire production.
The Mountaintop is much more than a mere biography of King’s life. It takes the audience into the soul of a man who sacrifices his own happiness and future to further “the cause.” Inventive writing, staging – and some special effects which cannot be explained here – deepen one’s sense of the man, and the martyr, King eventually became.
