For the next four weeks, Hattiloo Theatre is putting on a production of The Mountaintop, written by Memphis native and Pulitzer-winning playwright, Katori Hall.
“The Mountaintop is a reimagining of what was it like for Martin Luther King Jr. in his room the night before his assassination. It is — without giving anything away — a supernatural reimagining,” says Ekundayo Bandele, founder and CEO of Hattiloo. In a stripped-down version of Room 306 at the Lorraine Motel, King, played by Emmanuel McKinney, orders room service, and a mysterious waitress Camae, played by Bianca McMillian, brings him coffee, and the two delve into a deep conversation about King’s life and legacy. “At the end of the day, you have a man who was constantly putting himself in harm’s way. And he possibly knew at some point that his time was going to come, so how is it in that room by himself the night before he is called home to God? It is the same night he delivered his ‘Mountaintop’ speech, and that’s where you get the title.
“The supernatural element adds to the question of martyrs and how they feel,” Bandele continues. “Sometimes, we see figures like Malcolm X and so on as super-beings, but at the same time they’re human and they have fears and premonitions, so this play really shows the humanity of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.”
As for the impression the play leaves on the audience, Bandele says, “I think they’ll take away the courage that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had to exhibit to continue the civil rights path that he was on, despite the constant threat of assassination. That’s what they’ll take away — that this was a man, he was a flawed man. Sometimes, we fictionalize individuals who are martyrs and who are superstars and think about them one way. Well, he was a lot more complicated than that.”
The one-act play will run for an hour and 15 minutes, and performances will continue Thursdays through Sundays until February 13th, with matinees at 2 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at hattiloo.org or by calling (901) 525-0009.
The Mountaintop, Hattiloo Theatre, 37 S. Cooper, Opens Friday, January 21st, 7:30 p.m., $30.
