Tickets are available at Telecharge.com or by calling 212-239-6200, and beginning August 11th at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre (242 West 45th Street).
Directed by Tony Award® nominee Kenny Leon (Fences, A Raisin in the Sun), The Mountaintop will begin performances on Tuesday, September 22, 2011, with an official opening on Thursday, October 13, 2011.
Taking place on April 3, 1968, The Mountaintop is a gripping reimagining of events the night before the assassination of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. After delivering his legendary "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech, an exhausted Dr. King retires to his room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis while a storm rages outside. When a mysterious young woman delivers room service, King is forced to confront his past, as well as his legacy to his people.
The Mountaintop is produced by Jean Doumanian, Sonia Friedman Productions, and Ambassador Theatre Group.
In a joint statement, Ms. Doumanian and Ms. Friedman said, “The Mountaintop is a brilliantly conceived gem of a play. An ambitious work of fiction that is powerful, heartbreaking, humorous and exhilarating. We are thrilled to be bringing Katori Hall‟s remarkable, Olivier-winning work to New York, and to present a singular new American voice to Broadway audiences. And we are honored to be presenting the Broadway debut of the great Samuel L. Jackson.”
The Mountaintop will play the following performance schedule: Tuesday at 7:00 p.m., Wednesday - Saturday at 8:00 p.m., with matinees on Wednesday & Saturday at 2:00 p.m. and Sunday at 3:00 p.m. Tickets ($75 - $125) are available at Telecharge.com or by calling 212-239-6200, and beginning August 11th at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre (242 West 45th Street).
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 Dr. 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, including Most Promising Playwright, and was awarded the coveted 2010 Olivier Award for Best Play. This year, Ms. Hall also received the Susan Smith Blackburn prize.
Praise for London debut of The Mountaintop:
“An ambitious work of historical fiction draped in magical realism.”
Time Out UK
“Sometimes a play comes out of the blue and knocks everyone for six… It is a beautiful and startling piece… A play that keeps you marveling to the end.”
The Telegraph
“Wondrous, hilarious, and heartbreaking.”
The Independent
“Faultless.”
The Times
“Future life Stateside is beyond doubt.”
Variety