By Alayna Een
The Mountaintop by Katori Hall is set on April 3, 1963, at the now-infamous Lorraine Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee, where Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. Providing intimate and imaginative insights into the man behind the civil rights martyr, The Mountaintop is replete with thought-provoking points and supernatural surprises. The show starts with a lightning storm raging outside, which mirrors King’s internal turmoil as the beleaguered leader arrives in the motel room. He orders room service and instantly connects with the sassy and foul-mouthed maid Came, who brings coffee, cigarettes, and a bit of a comeuppance. The energy in the room shifts from flirtatious to somber with each crack of thunder as King is forced to face his own mortality and make peace with his unfinished legacy.
This one-room intermission-free show demands a lot of its two-person cast. Martin Luther King, Jr. is played by Abdul-Khaliq Murtdha, who creates a marvelous copy of King’s voice (coached by Adi Cabral) and mannerisms while bringing his own strength to the performance. Murtdha masters his character’s dynamic emotional range, from painful panic attacks to coy poses to fiery rebellions, and his energy keeps the audience fully engaged in the performance. His complex portrayal of a passionate but imperfect man is both humanizing and inspiring.
Came is played by Alia Shakira, and her youthful spunk is emphasized through her delightful dialect. Some of my favorite moments were when Came loses herself in the somewhat irreverent emotions of a moment and then gets embarrassed and backtracks, which always got chuckles from the audience. While she is initially the more lighthearted of the two, she also reaches great emotional depths, a contrast that creates compelling moments. The two actors have excellent chemistry in both the fluffy moments (literally in the pillow fight scene) and the serious ones as they work together to bring this bold play to life, with credit to director Cameron Knight.
The crew and artistic contributors provide a solid background to the production. Because it all takes place in one room, Jo Winiarski’s scenic design of the hotel room is key, and Joe Payne’s projections ground historical references and amplify the mystical moments (with contributions from Jaymi Lee Smith’s lighting design).
The mature themes and strong language make the play most appropriate for a teenage and adult audience. The compelling story invites contemporary reflection and creates the kind of memorable theatrical experience that the Utah Shakespeare Festival in Cedar City, Utah, is so well known for.
Utah Shakespeare Festival, 351 W Center Street, Cedar City, UT 84720
Eileen and Allen Anes Studio TheatreJuly 13–October 5, 2023, 2:00 PM and 8:00 PM
Tickets: $50–60
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