The Mountaintop at Geffen Playhouse

The Mountaintop

Geffen Playhouse
10886 Le Conte Avenue Los Angeles

It's April 3, 1968 and Martin Luther King, Jr. returns to the Lorraine Motel after delivering his history-altering "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech. When he orders room service, a young maid arrives with a revelation that calls Dr. King to confront unwelcome truths. As a lightning storm rages outside, the legacy of America's most revered civil rights leader is laid bare to reveal his profound humanity. A single night's reckoning with racism, righteousness, and the rocky path toward justice, The Mountaintop imagines what Dr. King's last night on Earth could have been.

Thru - Jul 9, 2023

Show Type: Drama

Box Office: 310-208-5454

www.geffenplayhouse.com

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The Mountaintop at Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles

The Mountaintop Reviews

Average Rating based on 7 reviews

Highly Recommended
Recommended
Somewhat Recommended
Not Recommended

Stage and Cinema - Highly Recommended

"...In an engrossing script that careens through unexpected twists and turns, Hall leads the viewer through what is at once believable and indeterminable, historical fact and fiction, and wholly plausible. On a rainy night in 1968 punctuated by thunderclaps (awesome sound by Cricket S. Myers), King is relaxing in his Memphis hotel room (a brilliant puzzle-box set design by Rachel Myers) pondering the future of an unstable America while he awaits the return of his best friend with Pall Mall cigarettes. When he finds he is also out of coffee, he rings for room service and a hotel maid appears. She is awed by being in King's presence as well as spirited and pretty, facts not lost on, but not taken advantage of, by King."

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- Lawrence Lucero

LA Splash - Highly Recommended

"...Skillfully helmed by director Patricia McGregor, THE MOUNTAINTOP builds up tension step by incremental step as the pair dance around each other with quirky humor which may be leading to something startling and unforeseen. Kudos to talented actors Hill and Warren, who give what may be the performances of their careers as the two individuals who were fated to meet and share this moment."

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- Elaine Mura

ArtsBeatLA - Highly Recommended

"...Topical, historical and gripping, Katori Hall’s Olivier Award-winning drama The Mountaintop is a powerful and thought-provoking play that explores the humanity of Martin Luther King, Jr. on the eve of his assassination. Hall sets her play in Dr. King’s hotel room in Memphis, Tennessee, imagining a fateful encounter with a hotel employee who might not quite be who she appears to be."

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- Pauline Adamek

Entertainment Weekly - Recommended

"...Hill and Warren give tour-de-force performances in a 90-minute, no intermission, two-hander that finds them barreling through a morass of biographical information, ideological debate, and physical gymnastics (most notably in a pillow fight). It looks remarkably exhausting, not even accounting for the emotional toll of the material."

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- Maureen Lee Lenker

Peoples World - Highly Recommended

"...I highly recommend The Mountaintop as a work of live, electrifying drama. Hall’s play is for serious theatergoers who enjoy great acting and writing, and works about what really matters in the grand scheme of things. Anyone concerned with racial and political issues will likely find this an engulfing, rewarding theatrical experience. I hope this review helps convince you to go up to The Mountaintop. Don’t miss it!"

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- Ed Rampell

Indulge Magazine - Highly Recommended

"...Westwood's esteemed Geffen Playhouse delivers an evocative and thought-provoking production that invites audiences to delve into the profound moments leading up to the tragic assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Set on April 3rd, 1968, within the intimate confines of room 306 at the historic Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, this imaginative Olivier Award-winning drama written by Katori Hall takes us on a poignant journey, shedding light on the inner sanctum where Dr. King resided during his final hours."

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- Victor Riobo / Dhalla

The Hollywood Times - Highly Recommended

"...When African American playwright Katori Hall takes on a subject, she does so with indomitable courage and deep engagement. Indeed, she has no fear of dancing with history in The Mountaintop, a reflective, almost shattering look at the last night of Martin Luther King Jr’s life at the Lorraine Motel after delivering his history-altering “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech. In the new production of the play at the Geffen Playhouse, director Patricia McGregor leads her two lead actors on a journey that does justice to Hall’s complex vision."

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- John Lavitt

The Mountaintop at Geffen Playhouse

The Mountaintop

The Mountaintop Reviews

Stage and Cinema - Highly Recommended

LA Splash - Highly Recommended

ArtsBeatLA - Highly Recommended

Entertainment Weekly - Recommended

Peoples World - Highly Recommended

Indulge Magazine - Highly Recommended

The Hollywood Times - Highly Recommended

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