The Mountaintop Review - First Preview (Curve Theatre Studio, Leicester)

21 September 2024 I 19:15 I Curve Theatre (Studio), Leicester

[First Preview, star rating not applicable]

Courtesy of the production's first preview, I will be uploading a shorter review in a way that I can still honour one of the greatest and beautifully humane plays I have seen in my lifetime.

Within the intimate Curve Theatre's Studio space, Nathan Powell's direction invites audiences into Martin Luther King Jr's final evening on this earth before his untimely assassination on the 4th April 1968 at the Lorraine Motel, Memphis. Following his sensational speech and exhausted, King is visited by a young waitress named Camae, a private two-hander that carries viewers on a spiritual journey on how one can prepare for death and martyrdom. Katori Hall's raw text flourishes in a 90 minute staging, discovering beauty as the baton for civil rights passes on.

Knowing very little of the play, I really admire the genuinity in which Hall curates her writing. Monologues on the Black American experience knock the wind out of your chest, feeling moved and inspired by King's non-violence ambition for equality.

Powell's 2024 adaptation updates this writing in final scenes, which caught me off guard as we see our generation, a failed generation yet to make progress toward a united world. With Jack Baxter's video design, footage of the 2024 summer riots critically observe our nation, calling for progress after almost 60 years. I highly recommend tissues to this adaptation, feeling emotionally devasted leaving the theatre. This vision honestly captures a drama for today. These conversations need to be happening.

Ray Strasser-King is excellent through his legendary role as Martin Luther King Jr. As an activist, a political performer, he demonstrates a meticulous understanding of commanding vocal strength. However with insight into his most vulnerable moments, Strasser-King offers a delicate, defenceless presence the people do not see. The strongest, most resilient of men has space to be exposed.

Complimenting this performance, Justina Kehinde is magnificent as Camae, opening the door to scenes of humour and charm. The pair ascend into a relationship which is endearing in it's development. With Kehinde's impassioned delivery, we see the working class African-American woman take charge as the lost voice, she holds a mirror to King as an honour to his legacy.

Under Lulu Tam's set design, the space is infused with magic in a method that must be seen to be believed, channelling dreamlike abstraction. Touring beyond Leicester's Curve Theatre, The Mountaintop has to be the British play of the year. I wish I could write more (being a preview showing), however I would recommend this performance to all. Is there ever a right time? Is it possible to be abandoned by religion? With almost the entire audience in tears, myself included, this response serves as testament to Powell's adaptation, designed to empower and advocate a kinder future.