About

QPAC Brisbane, 22 Feb – 16 Mar2014

A rainy April night in Memphis, 1968 – and it will be Dr Martin Luther King Jr’s last night on Earth. Wearied by his years-long march at the head of the Civil Rights Movement, the preacher checks into room 306 at the modest Lorraine Motel. Before the sun sets again he will be shot dead. King’s late-night room service coffee comes with more of a kick than he bargained for: Camae, a hotel maid on her first night on the job.

Fascinated by this beautiful, brassy, blunt lady, King allows her to take him on a journey to confront his past before his date with destiny. But is this irreverent maid all she seems to be, or does she have a grander plan for the firebrand preacher?

Insightful and provocative, The Mountaintop is a lively, funny, moving and magical look back at the life of one of the most inspirational men in history. But far from putting him on a pedestal, it’s a warts-and-all portrait of a human being, culminating in a blistering recap of decades of civil rights history, and leading right up to the present day.

Penned by brilliant young Memphis playwright Katori Hall, the play was a West End and Broadway sell-out. Making his Company debut, Pacharo Mzembe shines as Dr Martin Luther King Jr, while vivacious actress, activist and hip-hop sensation Candy Bowers dazzles as Camae.

Production images by Rob Maccoll.