Jackson, Berry Lead The Mountaintop; Set For Broadway Fall Of 2011

The New York Times is reporting that the Broadway production of "The Mountaintop" is likely to take the stage in Fall of 2011. Two executives told the newspaper that Samuel L Jackson and Halle Berry are set to star.

The play is Katori Hall's story about the Rev Martin Luther King Jr. on the eve of his assassination.

The play received critical acclaim in its first production, garnering a 2010 Laurence Olivier nomination for Best Play, and producers hope to continue that success on a Broadway stage. The Broadway production is expected to be directed by Kenny Leon, whose work will next be seen on Broadway in August Wilson's FENCES, starring Denzel Washington and Viola Davis.

The producers state, "‘The Mountaintop' is a brilliantly conceived gem of a play. An ambitious work of fiction that is powerful, heartbreaking, humorous and exhilarating. We are honored to be bringing Katori Hall's remarkable work to New York, and to present a singular new American playwright to Broadway audiences."

The Mountaintop received its world premiere to critical acclaim in a three-week run at Theatre 503 in June 2009, and subsequently transferred to the West End's Trafalgar Studio 1. The production featured powerful performances by David Harewood as Martin Luther King, Jr., and Lorraine Burroughs as the mysterious Camae, under the direction of James Dacre. (The Mountaintop also received two Evening Standard Awards Nominations for Most Promising Playwright and Best Actor.)

Taking place on April 3, 1968, The Mountaintop is a gripping reimagining of events the night before the assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., as he retires to Room 306 in the now famous Lorraine Motel in Memphis, after delivering his legendary ‘I've Been To The Mountaintop' speech to a massive church congregation. When room-service is delivered by a young woman, whose identity we puzzle over, King is forced to confront his past, as well as his legacy to his people.