Karamu House’s ‘The Mountaintop’ is a different view on history

Heavy rains pelted Cleveland last night in preparation of a winter storm. Inside the Jelliffe Theatre at Karamu House it was also raining but in a figurative manner. On stage was Katori Hall’s “The Mountaintop” with the stage resembling Room 306 of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis Tennessee. Through the window of the motel room you could see a violent storm lashing out by the light of the large motel sign.

It is April 4, 1968 just after midnight and an exhausted Martin Luther King (E. B. Smith) has returned to the motel room to rest after giving his prophetic “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech at the Mason Temple Church of God in Christ. Little does King know that in mere hours he will be gunned down by a sniper.

King sends one of his men off to purchase his favorite cigarettes, Pall Malls, and has ordered coffee sent to his room so that he can work on his next speech. Almost immediately there is a knock on the door and Camae (Corlesia Smith) arrives with the coffee as well as some Pall Malls and a lighter of her own.

We soon get to see an entirely different side of the man than we are accustomed to. He smokes, drinks, flirts, cusses and has smelly feet. He also has the gift of oratory that lifts and motivates the masses. As the conversation moves on it becomes quite apparent that Camae is much more than a mere maid and soon King is forced to come to grips with his impending death. In classical fashion he goes through the stages of denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. In the end he is given a glimpse of his life passing before his eyes and a promise.

Katori Hall is a globally renowned award winning Black female playwright who has a personal family connection to the subject matter. Her mother grew up one block away from the Lorraine Motel in Memphis. Word on the street at that time was "They gone bomb dat chuurch. You know dem folks out to kill him." Katori has set out to imagine Martin Luther King, Jr. as a human, not as a God. In effect she wanted to show the man as well as the greatness. She has accomplished that goal.

“The Mountaintop” is a challenging play to watch. It is full of plot twists that seemingly jerk you along. Just as you get comfortable with one of the play’s concepts you are pushed and prodded into another thought process. This is not entirely a bad thing. The play does not lack in interest. We see the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as a human with all the challenges, weaknesses and foibles that plague the rest of us. In short the legend of the man is humanized.

As for the actors, they are superb. The all important chemistry necessary to sell this concept is there in abundance. In the end they are able to take a fantasy story and make it quite believable. E. B. Smith as the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. shows the highs and lows of the man who is well established in history. Corlesia Smith as Camae is able to stand toe to toe with King (literally) and match him in wit and vigor on a variety of subjects.

The stage design by Richard H. Morris Jr. is an understated motel room from the late 60s that many of us are familiar with. Inda Blatch Geib outfits the two actors in authentic garb. Colleen Albrecht does a spectacular job with the lighting as the moods swing dramatically. Special mention must also be noted of T. Paul Lowry who handled the Digital Media Design. The thunderstorm visual effects and the collage of historic images at the end are spectacular. The show is wonderfully directed by Nina Domingue who keeps the pace moving forward without rushing it. Time is used wisely to tell the story. The only complaint one could have was with the sound design. At times it was difficult to hear all of the lines due to the size of the stage and theater. This is something that can be easily solved.

As midnight in Memphis, Tennessee passes into April 4th, 1968 we catch a glimpse of a man of extreme stature as he struggles with the everyday challenges and temptations known to all of us. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. has scaled The Mountaintop and has seen what awaits. It is a lesson in history as well as the human condition and well worth viewing.

“The Mountaintop” will be on stage in the Jelliffe Theatre at Karamu House through March 6th, 2022. For information and tickets go to https://www.karamuhouse.org/ or call (216) 795-7077.