Review: THE MOUNTAINTOP at Omaha Community Playhouse: Who Was This Man?

Since seeing THE MOUNTAINTOP at the Omaha Community Playhouse, I've done little but think about Martin Luther King, Jr. I've read news articles, online pieces posted by those who know or pretend to know, and his autobiography. Who was this man?

Fifty years ago Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated outside the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, just hours after his history-making speech, "I've Been to the Mountaintop." Katori Hall's THE MOUNTAINTOP envisions a fictionalized account of Reverend King's final night.

Set in Jim Othuse's realistic replication of the 1960s shabby Room 306 during a thunder storm, Martin Luther King, Jr. is alone. He orders coffee...he needs the caffeine to remain alert to write his next speech about how arrogant America is going to hell because like the rich man in the Bible who ignores the beggar Lazarus, she is not using her vast wealth to help the poor. The maid, Camae, arrives with his coffee, along with a pack of Pall Malls and a flask of whiskey.

Reverend King invites Camae to hang around his room. He fears the loud thunder and he doesn't want to be alone. They debate peaceful protest opposed to violence, fear as the cause of hate, and ministry without martyrdom. Flashes of lightning light up the room as Camae punctuates her talk with blue language. She offers apologies, which he laughs off. When she says God is a black woman who enjoys a dirty joke, he says he doesn't like the way she talks about God, but he goes along with it. There is a pillow fight and a tickling episode that may raise your eyebrow. The plot twist that comes half way through the play is a bit audacious.

Denise Chapman (who recently directed the powerful BOURBON AT THE BORDER for the Union for Contemporary Art's Performing Arts Collective) guides this passionate two person cast. Donte' Plunkett imbues Martin Luther King, Jr. with a credible flawed humanity. Catie Zaleski alternately charms and offends as the flirtatious Camae.

Hall's play shows Dr. King as a common man with smelly feet and lots of flaws. He lies. He cheats. He drinks. He smokes. There are occasional flashes of the heroic man who dreamed of a better world. Does Hall portray Martin Luther King the way he wanted to be remembered? In Dr. King's own words, "I'll tell you, I've seen the lightning flash. I've heard the thunder roll. I felt sin-breakers dashing, trying to conquer my soul. But I heard the voice of Jesus saying still to fight on." He wanted to be remembered as a man who gave his life loving and serving humanity. I am not sure Dr. King would have appreciated Hall's take on his life. But whether you agree or disagree with her, you will find OCP's production well done and thought-provoking.

Photo Credit: Robertson Photography

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