Written by Katori Hall and directed by Nathan Powell, this moving production depicts Dr Martin Luther King’s final night at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis before his assassination when he was shot and killed on the hotel’s balcony.
The previous day, Wednesday, April 3, 1968, he had given his final speech, “I’ve been to the Mountaintop” to the striking sanitation workers at Mason Temple in Memphis.
The play depicts Martin Luther King, played by Ray Strasser-King booking into the motel with things taking a strange twist after he orders a late night coffee and maid Camae, played by Justina Kehinde, enters the room.
At first, they appear to be flirting with one another, laughing and joking whilst they smoke cigarettes and she adds a little brandy to his coffee. But there’s more to the maid than first impressions.
The audience gets to see more of the human side of Martin Luther King, the real and vulnerable person with all his flaws, not just the person who stands up on a stage and gives those powerful performances – although you get to see that side of him too.
There are moments in this play when the audience literally gasps out loud. At other times, you’ll laugh, and there are some really emotional and reflective moments, too.
The performance is not what you perhaps initially expect, it goes beyond the speeches and gets behind the real Dr King. Strasser-King and Justina Kehinde put in some powerful performances, which really push the boundaries.
The set, sound and lighting is incredible. From the basic motel room set up, to the flashes of thunder and lightning, until the room eventually seems to take on a life of its own.
A really powerful and very moving performance. Turn up, pass on the baton.
★★★★
