Theatre / Review
Review: The Mountaintop, Weston Studio (Bristol Old Vic)
A storm rages outside a lonely motel room, where a man spends his final night before an assassination that shakes the world.
No crowds, no podium, no marches: The Mountaintop is the portrayal of Dr Martin Luther King Jr away from the spotlight as a tired figure: battered and bruised from the relentless fight for civil rights, but resolute in his determination to keep going.
The date is April 3, 1968. King has just delivered his famous speech on behalf of the sanitation workers in Memphis and retired to room 306 at the Lorraine Motel. This intimate setting in Bristol Old Vic’s Weston Studio is where we enter the action.
is needed now More than ever
It’s a tall order to capture and hold the attention of an audience over the course of an hour and 45 minutes, with no break, a basic set and just two actors.
But Katori Hall’s play is a masterfully-woven tale, full of dazzling one-liners, that packs an incredibly powerful punch.
The shoes of one of the most famous civil rights leaders in history are big ones to fill, and Gbolahan Obisesan puts on an admirable performance as the vulnerable, flawed, vaguely egotistical, but deeply passionate man behind the famous figurehead.
However, it is Rochelle Rose, playing the beautiful, cigarette-smoking, whiskey-swigging maid-cum-angel Camae, who steals the show.
From her first appearance, sitting on a chair, obliviously swaying in time to music as the audience files in, to her entrance at King’s motel door, Rose’s is a flawlessly captivating performance.
Injecting a heavy dose of down-to-earth humour and a strong feminist spark, Camae delivers killer comic lines, subtle aside glances and impassioned speeches with effortless style.
While the often fun, flirtatious interaction between the two characters provides welcome relief, it is a deeply poignant play.
Set during the height of America’s Civil Rights Movement, The Mountaintop reflects on King’s struggle in his resolve to fight hate with love and peace, despite the ongoing horrific injustice inflicted by white people.
He is haunted by the recent death of a 16-year-old black boy at the hands of the police and, on top of this, by the personal sacrifices he has made: the time away from his wife and children; missed holidays and birthdays and the constant threats to his life.
“Don’t let me die without saying goodbye to my children,” he begs Camae, when it transpires that she is the unorthodox angel, sent to take him away to heaven.
The role of God is played out in a comic phone call – and (in case there was ever any doubt) she is female, and black, and proud.
By the morning, King will meet his tragic end, shot dead on the balcony of the selfsame motel.
For tonight, though, he is left to confront his fears, his worries and his hopes for a better world with Camae, as he asks her to show him the future and whether his dreams of a fair, equal society just over the mountaintop becomes a reality.
Thus, the play ends with a dramatic and moving video montage of history from King’s untimely death right, up to the modern day, featuring key figures across the globe who have played their role in the civil rights movement, going through US presidents over the years – and ending with Trump.
As ‘the baton’ is passed from person to person, the footage, by Nina Dunn, acts as a powerful portrayal of how much has been achieved, and how much there is still to do. It artfully brings home the relevance of the play today and leaves the audience reeling.
There is a moment of silence as the lights go out, before spontaneous applause and a standing ovation. The first night of this understated, but perfectly formed play wasn’t a sell out, but it is a performance that everyone in Bristol and beyond should see.
The Mountaintop continues at Bristol Old Vic’s Weston Studio until Saturday, November 24. For more information, visit www.bristololdvic.org.uk/whats-on/the-mountaintop
All pics: Helen Murray
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