Review: THE MOUNTAINTOP at Dezart Performs

On August 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. led a march on Washington and gave a speech:

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

On August 30, 1963, the FBI's domestic intelligence bureau sent out a memo to their team: "We must mark [King] now as the most dangerous Negro in the future of this Nation."

And that began the character assassination of the man who peacefully fought for equal rights, his journey ending the day a coward aimed at and mortally wounded Dr. King as he stood on a balcony outside his second-floor room at the Lorraine Motel. It was April 4th, 1968.

Now, if you're inclined to think that The Mountaintop explores who shot King and why, or perhaps the conspiracies surrounding King's assassination, or a piece of art to glorify Dr. King's message, you'd be incorrect. This is the portrait of the flawed man behind the civil rights movement. It's plain and not so simple.

Our story begins the evening of April 3rd, in King's room, at the Lorraine Motel, with King (Cortez Johnson) desperately seeking coffee and cigarettes. He clearly knows he's being surveilled, he's aware of the forces trying to stop him, and he checks everywhere for electronic devices.

It's late at night, which we know because of the wonderful light design of Derrick McDaniel with moonlight streaming through the window and door of Thomas L. Valach's incredibly realistic set of a 1960s hotel room (spoiler, it looks like a Motel 6 today) before King enters the room, closes both the door and the drapes and makes a phone call to get that cup of coffee. He's told room service is closed, but he manages to talk them into having someone bring him a cup of coffee.

A young Black maid, Camae (Shanté DeLoach), arrives with his coffee, and she has Pall Mall's King's brand of cigarette, and our play swings into full force. Camae is a real pistol with a naughty sense of humor and a potty mouth and when King flirts with her, she manages to keep his interest while side-stepping his advances. Before we arrive at the conclusion of our play, we learn that Camae is not who she appears to be, nor is she who King thinks she is.

You'll have to see the show to discover the rest of the plot. I will tell you that the playwright, Katori Hall, employs a conceit that playwrights are told not to use, but thank goodness she was a young enough playwright not to listen. Sometimes things that aren't supposed to work actually work.

Johnson, as King, side-steps being a caricature, and gives us a look at the paranoid, philandering man behind the civil rights leader. As we have learned throughout time, no one - not even Mother Teresa - is without flaws. In fact, a 2018 article in The Rooster, proclaimed "Truth be told, Mother Teresa was actually a pretty shitty human being."

But King was not a shitty human being, he was just a human being. And it's a difficult job portraying the man behind such a charismatic and well-known leader, and Johnson does a terrific job of portraying the man instead of the icon.

DeLoach's character is fully made of whole cloth, and she breathes life into Camae with delicious abandon. We learn she has not had a great life, a story she shares with charm and humor although there is nothing humorous about it. She is both real and ethereal. It's a very memorable performance by DeLoach.

Director Michael Shaw, per usual, lifts his actors with his direction as well as offering stellar production values: costumes by Frank Cazares, fantastic video and sound design by Clark Duggar, with a crew rounded out by Lynda Shaeps, wigs and makeup; scenic artist Tom O'Brien; props by Greg Thorneycroft, graphic design by Dennis Wodzisz, and props to stage manager Nathan Cox, who has a huge amount of lighting and sound cues to call. Although it's a good play on its own merit, it is the sum of all the parts of this production that raises it above being a character piece turning it into a work of art.

The Mountaintop reminds us that heroes have flaws. They did good things, and often did "bad" things. That's just the nature of gods and man. And if I were to make an educated guess, it would be that Katori Hall would have given this production two big enthusiastic thumbs up for the handling her words, and presenting her message with this very thoughtful production.

The Mountaintop is definitely worth the climb, even if we never get to see King rise to the summit. On a personal note, I hope we get there someday soon.

*All photos by David A. Lee

Dezart Performs

Our Mission: Dezart Performs, one of the Coachella Valley's preeminent theatre companies, recognizes that the performing arts enrich the life and culture of a community, promote greater understanding and provoke insightful discussion. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit theatre company, its mission is to provide an artistic home for bold and cuttinga??edge plays, creating an atmosphere of artistic growth for actors, writers, and directors who uniquely contribute to the diverse theatrical environment in the Coachella Valley.

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