"The Mountaintop" at the Mockingbird on Main -- July 29 through August 7.
Thursday, July 29, through Saturday, August 7
The Mockingbird on Main, 320 North Main Street, Davenport IA
Winner of Great Britain's Oliver Award for Best Play and described by London's Independent as “wondrous, hilarious, and heartbreaking,” the fascinating two-character drama The Mountaintop, from July 29 through August 7, serves as the inaugural production at Davenport's new venue The Mockingbird on Main, the play's imagined tale involving Martin Luther King Jr. lauded by the Los Angeles Times as “a powerful, poetic take on (King's) legacy.”
Written by Katori Hall, a Pulitzer Prize winner for The Hot Wing King whose other works include the hit TV series P-Valley and the Tony-nominated musical revue Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, The Mountaintop is a fictional retelling of how Martin Luther King Jr. spent his last night on earth before his tragic assassination. After delivering his famous “I’ve been to the mountaintop speech” on behalf of the sanitation workers in Memphis, Martin goes to the Lorraine Motel to rest before another long day of campaigning. His world is spun on his axis when he meets Camae, a beautiful maid, who delivers his room service. At first, they only exchange flirtatious remarks, but soon they start a deep dialogue about Martin’s hopes and fears, and the two develop a true understanding. But is Camae truly who she says she is? A tale of hopes, fears, regrets, and the bridge between mortality and immortality, The Mountaintop shows its audiences a different side of Martin Luther King: a man who is tired, flawed, yet, despite everything, still an inspiration.
Directing the Mockingbird on Main's debut is Kira Rangel, who recently appeared in the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse's productions of Beehive: The '60s Musical and the family comedy Elephant & Piggie's “We Are in a Play!”, and was also seen in the Mississippi Bend Players' 2018 presentations of Big River and Beginner's Luck. Anthony Hendricks and Erica Faye, two visiting performers from the Iowa City area, respectively portray Martin Luther King Jr. and Camae, and co-producer and Mockingbird on Main co-founder Tristan Tapscott says, “We are thrilled to be starting this new adventure with a piece like this and to be able to feature these artists.”
Khalil Hacker, meanwhile, is responsible for the presentation's projection design, and as venue co-founder and show co-producer Savannah Bay Strandin states, “When I first saw The Mountaintop several years ago, I was moved beyond words. It is a stunning piece and I am overjoyed that this is our inaugural production.”
The Mountaintop will be staged in downtown Davenport from July 29 through August 7, with the doors opening at 7:30 p.m. for the scheduled 8 p.m. performances Thursdays through Saturdays. Admission is $15, reservations are highly recommended, and more information and tickets are available by visiting TheMockingbirdOnMain.com.
