Curve Theatre Leicester – until 5th October 2024
Reviewed by Amarjeet Singh
5*****
The Mountaintop is a thought-provoking and enthralling piece of theatre. Katori Hall’s drama revolves around an imaginary meeting between Dr Martin Luther King Jr and a maid delivering room service, on the eve of his assassination in a Memphis motel in 1968.
King is riding a wave of both highs and lows having just delivered his ‘I’ve been to The Mountaintop’ speech. Elated, triumphant, yet paranoid and anxious about what’s to come, he arrives at the motel and awaits a friend’s arrival with cigarettes. Alone with his thoughts, he drives himself into a frenzy, and starts tearing the room apart looking for recording devices, all the while we hear the relentless rain pour, the thunder peel and the lightening crash. Then in walks Camae.
Sunshine yellow uniform, amidst the storms she immediately changes the atmosphere Bringing King’s coffee, she is not your traditional motel maid. Lighting cigarettes, pulling out mini bottles of whiskey, our suspicions, along with King’s, are peaked. The night reaches its climax when Camae reveals her true intentions for walking into King’s motel room that night.
First staged in 2010, earning itself an Olivier award, this current Made at Curve rendition of The Mountaintop started as a script reading. But in the hands of dedicated director Nathan Powell, it was clear this was destined to be so much more. There is a wealth of magic in this 90-minute piece. It’s a mystery, but we know who dies and why. It tells of senseless and shocking atrocities, but we are given meaning and hope. We are reduced to tears and called to action but there is warmth and plenty of laughter. We are being told a story about a specific moment in time yet this moment transcends its time. The dynamicism in the tale is matched in the direction as we have physical dreamlike sequences blurring the lines between fantasy and reality.
Camae is a wonderfully written character, a full-bodied tour de force. She hoodwinks us all into believing she is one thing and then seamlessly shifts into another leading us all on a wonderful journey. She equals and in someways surpasses King’s ideological exchanges, much to his surprise, as she adds unheard voices, those of strong, savvy, working class black women. Played magnificently by Justina Kehinde, Camae not only spellbinds King but she captivates us too. Nailing the Memphis drawl, she annunciates every word clearly, so we never miss any of Hall’s amazing lines. She fully embodies the role, like honey dripping off a knife, she is simply thrilling to watch.
Ray Strasser-King’s portrayal of Dr Martin Luther King Jr is outstanding. He is not imitating nor mimicking Dr King, but rather channelling every aspect of how King would present himself if he would ever find himself in this situation, grappling with a myriad of emotions, juggling the martyr and the man and coming face to face with his own mortality. His rendition is raw and rousing, a portrayal that stays with you for a long time.
The dramatic intrigue between the two characters is delicious. Hall’s writing is engaging and relevant. Whilst we may think of this as a period piece and even that of it being American and not British, the themes are as relatable this side of the pond as they are over there, we may be slightly more reserved talking about them. Divides are still ongoing. Lulu Tam’s beguiling set design is an exact replication of the motel room King stayed in the night before his assassination but it keeps its own secrets. When paired with Jack Baxter’s sublime soundscapes they elevate Hall’s tall tales.
Hall weaves biographical and historical details into her writing. She alludes to his suspected sexual indiscretions and other matters which highlight King as a flawed human being. He is not a “perfect man”, and the play highlights that we are all flawed and therefor we all have the power to pick and pass on the baton.
The play comes to an end with powerful speeches and images which will leave you speechless and unable to look away. They make us appreciate the progress we’ve made thus far and see just how much more there is left to do. The Mountaintop is an extraordinarily well-crafted and incredibly moving piece of theatre. Relevant, relatable and riveting, this needs to be seen.