sa国际传媒官网网页入口

Martin Luther King Jr. had stinky feet.

He had holes in his socks.

He was a good pool player.

Katori Hall鈥檚 play 鈥淭he Mountaintop鈥� humanizes the civil rights leader at the Lorraine Motel the night before his assassination. The Adobe Theater is staging the play from Jan. 19 through Feb. 11.

鈥淚 first heard of 鈥楾he Mountaintop鈥� from a director friend of mine,鈥� said director Jenelle Baptiste. 鈥淚t touched me; a lot of it was just funny things about MLK.

鈥淵es, he was a great civil rights leader, but he was also a human being,鈥� she continued. 鈥淔or me, it brought out the humanity in him.鈥�

鈥淭he Mountaintop鈥� opens with Martin Luther King Jr. returning to the Lorraine Motel after his sermon 鈥淚鈥檝e Been To The Mountaintop.鈥� King (Marcus Ivey) sends a friend to fetch him cigarettes, ultimately leaving him alone in Room 306 as a storm rages outside. While he orders room service, King comes into contact with Camae (Nicee Wagner), the mysterious and beautiful maid who immediately strikes his attention.

The pair flirt and laugh until their conversation turns deeper. They begin to discuss King鈥檚 hopes and fears. The conversation focuses on the fight for civil rights and reaches the climax when Camae reveals her true intentions.

鈥淐amae works at the hotel, but later we understand she鈥檚 an angel,鈥� Baptiste said. 鈥淪he鈥檚 there to make it easier for him; she challenges his beliefs. He wants to do everything peaceful with marches, but she challenges him on that. She smokes with him; they have a pillow fight.鈥�

Hall penned the play to challenge viewers to see King鈥檚 humanity instead of placing him on top of a pedestal.

鈥淚 liked the spiritual dimension of a maid as an angel visiting him,鈥� Baptiste said. 鈥淲e find out that God is a woman. I thought that was cool.鈥�

The play marks Baptiste鈥檚 first directorial role; she last acted in 鈥淗azardous Materials鈥� at the Vortex Theatre. When she first read 鈥淭he Mountaintop鈥� script, she could not put it down. Since then, she has been drawn to Hall鈥檚 stories because of her love and articulation of Black life.

鈥淚f Dr. King were alive today, what would he think?鈥� Baptiste asked. 鈥淒id his dream come true? What can we do as a society to stand up against hatred and injustice? After all, the baton passes on.鈥�

The play initially failed to find a venue in the U.S., but premiered in London in 2009, where it won the prestigious Olivier Best New Play Award. It opened in New York in 2011 with Samuel L. Jackson in his Broadway debut. Angela Bassett played Camae. A two-time Tony nominee, Hall won the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for her play 鈥淭he Hot Wing King.鈥�