This story was originally published by ArtsATL.
Wherein lies the mountaintop, and how much further must people climb? In a motel room in Memphis in 1968, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. grapples with this question as he prepares to face the end of his storied life. Rife with powerful performances and gorgeous stagecraft, Katori Hall’s “The Mountaintop,” set the night before King’s assassination, is at the Alliance Theatre through Sept. 22.
Hall’s script presents King in Memphis organizing protests for sanitation workers, when he meets a rambunctious maid named Camae. The two engage in some salacious banter, discuss King’s ideologies, and, for a moment, audiences feel the encounter is headed somewhere surprisingly risqué. However, King soon realizes there is a cosmic reason Camae has appeared in his life. He is forced to reckon with the work he has done and whether or not the movement will be able to continue without him.
Hall’s script displays both respect and curiosity about King, both as a historical figure and a real person. She exalts his contributions to the Civil Rights Movement while also depicting him smoking, drinking and veering dangerously close to adultery. There is an astute sleight of hand to the way she weaves together the man and the legend in accordance with how King sees himself at any given moment.
Credit: Greg Mooney
Credit: Greg Mooney
Rob Demery brings an undeniable charisma to the role, laying on the charm in an effort to impress Jade Payton’s Camae. However, he is upstaged for most of the run time by Payton, whose jubilance and sarcastic wit keep the play buoyant and amusing for its entire first half. This inequality is partly on account of the script; there is an affection and enthusiasm in the way Hall writes Camae, presumably because the character was based on Hall’s mother, who never got to meet King. As the unknown element, she is also naturally going to command more attention — audiences wonder who she is and what she will be bringing to this interaction.
Payton does an excellent job balancing this sense of mystery with Camae’s lively spirit. If she is a bit broad and her thick Southern drawl a bit obvious, it can all be chalked up to the character’s intentionally disarming charisma. Mostly, it is the chemistry between the actors that drives the play. The relationship starts out playful and flirty, with Payton’s unrefined boisterousness clashing nicely with Demery’s dignified yet earthy aura. There is an uncertainty to the way their energies mix, which becomes more comfortable as the play progresses — until Hall flips the tables on their dynamic in the second half.
Respect must be paid to Tinashe Kajese-Bolden’s fluid direction. She keeps the actors moving, taking advantage of Demery’s swagger and Payton’s humor to create an entertaining, intriguing dynamic that keeps the audience on their toes, wondering what will happen. One is so drawn in by their banter, we almost forget about the looming tragedy we know is coming.
Credit: Greg Mooney
Credit: Greg Mooney
An inherent mysticism in the script is brought to life spectacularly by magic consultant Skylar Fox, who provides dazzling practical effects. His magic is amplified by Ben Rawson’s light design, Melanie Chen Cole’s sound and especially Miko Simmons’ dynamic projections. These elements come together to create a near-transcendent emotional climax toward the end of the play.
There’s also something to be said for Tony Cisek’s deceptively simple set design. In depicting the interior of King’s motel room, Cisek angles the planes of the set inward, creating a forced perspective that draw’s the audience’s attention and hints something about King’s surroundings are slightly off.
Despite its elegiac nature, Hall’s script is defined by a resilient optimism, and its conclusion is fundamentally hopeful — though we know King’s life is nearing its end, the promise is that others will continue his legacy. However, this belief was perhaps easier to swallow in 2009 (when “The Mountaintop” premiered) than in 2024, with political cynicism on the rise and King’s philosophies being questioned. Even with the play’s ultimate assertion, there are those who would question how pleased King would actually be with the amount of progress made in the last 56 years, especially given the utopian nature of his rhetoric in the production.
Perhaps “The Mountaintop” inspires hope by highlighting how far society still has to go. Where one falls on the spectrum of pessimism and optimism will likely determine how moved they are. But even the most jaded can’t deny how well put-together this production is, or how heartfelt its tribute. In shattering the idea of a progressive end point, Hall brings our attention back to the climb, to the work that may never end but must never cease.
THEATER REVIEW
“The Mountaintop”
Through Sept. 22. $25-$95. 7:30 p.m. Thursdays-Fridays; 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays-Sundays. Also, 7:30 p.m. Sept. 18. Only 2 p.m. shows presented on Sept. 21-22. Alliance Theatre, 1280 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta. 404-733-4600, alliancetheatre.org.
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Luke Evans is an Atlanta-based writer, critic and dramaturge. He covers theater for ArtsATL and Broadway World Atlanta and has worked with theaters such as the Alliance, Actor’s Express, Out Front Theatre and Woodstock Arts. He’s a graduate of Oglethorpe University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree, and the University of Houston, where he earned his master’s.
Credit: ArtsATL
Credit: ArtsATL
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