TheaterWorks, Hartford, CT
through May 5, 2013
by Jarice Hanson
An exact replica of room 306 at the Lorraine Motel provides
the set for Katori Hall’s imaginative play, "The Mountaintop." The
scene recreates the night before Martin Luther King’s assassination on the
balcony of the Memphis motel in April, 1968. After delivering his famous “I’ve
Been to the Mountaintop” speech, King returns to his room to meet Camae, a maid
who delivers his coffee and tells him that “God wants me to get you ready to go
home.”
Hall’s script is uneven, blending images of historical
accuracy and collective memory with fantasy, popular culture and time warps,
but director Rob Ruggiero makes the script work by building tension between the
two actors, and between the actors and the audience. Occasionally a line is
prescient with meaning those watching the play see King struggle with the
burden of leadership while experiencing the carnal desire of a man who spends
too much time on the road.
Actors Courtney Thomas as Camae, and Jamil A.C. Mangan in
the difficult role of MLK, give intelligent performances resonating with sexual
tension and humor. Room 306 is the place where they share cigarettes, reflect
on the meaning of Civil Rights, and the brief time we share on earth. When
Mangan powerfully builds to the pinnacle of the performance, the audience is
left to ponder the significance of destiny.
Evan Adamson’s detailed set is flawless, and provides a link
to time and place integral to the story. John Lasiter’s lighting and Michael
Miceli’s sound design punctuate the action with foreshadowing that heightens
the tension. While it is difficult to describe everything that happens without
giving away the twists and turns that make the story so compelling, "The
Mountaintop" delivers strong performances, and a meaningful experience
that packs a punch.