After making his directorial stage debut with Melbourne Theatre Company’s (MTC) acclaimed production of Red, Alkinos Tsilimidos is heading back to the stage and directing the Australian premiere theatre performance of The Mountaintop. Based on Katori Hall’s play about Dr Martin Luther King Jr’s last night before he was assassinated, the play has received critical acclaim after its sell-out West End and Broadway debuts.
Mr Tsilimidos is taking the reins of the play and producing it for an Australian audience for the first time. It is set entirely in Room 306 of the Lorraine Motel on the eve of King’s assassination on April 4, 1968. Dr King is trying to write yet another powerful speech, and when he orders a cup of coffee through room service he is greeted by a mysterious woman who brings him more than just coffee. What follows is a reflective, often funny, often touching conversation in which Dr King examines his achievements, his failures, and his unfinished dreams.
The Australian play will feature Bert LaBonté as Dr King and Zahra Newman as Camae and the whole season is already almost sold out.
Opening night is on November 1, and the season continues until December 14 at the Fairfax Studio, in the Arts Centre Melbourne. To book tickets, visit www.mtc.com.au/plays-and-tickets/2013-mainstage/the-mountaintop/