Court Theatre set for The Mountaintop

Aug 14, 2013
The Mountaintop

Court Theatre Artistic Director Charles Newell and Executive Director Stephen J. Albert present The Mountaintop written by Katori Hall, and directed by Resident Artist Ron OJ Parson. The Mountaintop will run September 5 - October 6, 2013 at Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Avenue.

On the eve of his assassination, a weary Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. returns to his lonely hotel room in Memphis. Restless, he begins to work on his next speech when he's suddenly interrupted by the arrival of a young hotel maid named Camae. The two strike up an unlikely conversation and as the hour grows late and Dr. King's fate presses closer, Camae reveals that she is more than she appears. The Mountaintop offers a beautiful and powerful meditation on mortality, destiny, and the liminal space where the material meets the divine. Resident Artist Ron OJ Parson will direct this new portrayal of Dr. King.

"The Mountaintop is one of the most extraordinary plays I've had the pleasure of encountering in recent years, and as soon as I first read it I knew instantly that it should open Court Theatre's fifty-ninth season. Court's intimate space is perfectly suited to the quiet power of Katori Hall's play, and under the incisive direction of Resident Artist Ron OJ Parson, this Mountaintop has the potential to really sing as it would nowhere else," says Artistic Director Charles Newell. "Not only am I proud to present the Chicago premiere of The Mountaintop, I'm grateful and truly moved that Court Theatre has the opportunity to explore, through the art form of drama, the life and legacy of such a crucial figure of our time."

The cast of The Mountaintop is David Alan Anderson (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.) and Lisa Beasley (Camae).

The creative team includes Scott Davis (scenic design), Melissa Torchia (costume design), Sarah Hughey (lighting design), Victoria Delorio (sound design), Martine Kei Green-Rogers (dramaturgy). William Collins is the Stage Manager.