The Mountaintop

performance schedule
February 1 – February 19, 2023

Added performance on Saturday, Feb. 18th, 2PM. 

Run TiMe: 90 minutes, NO INTERMISSION

Best enjoyed by age 13 and above.

please plan to arrive at the theatre at least 30 minutes before your curtain time so you do not miss the opening minutes!
From audience members…
“… we were blown away by the two actors who carried their roles nearly to perfection!!! It was pure joy to watch two artists perform at the top of their game. The play itself was also a good history lesson…”
“Absolutely brilliant. Must-see theatre.”
“It is one that will stay with you forever.”
FREE COMMUNITY EVENTS
Feb. 6, 2023

Uptown is partnering with The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, the Anti-Defamation League Philadelphia, and Chester County Kehillah, in a hosted Zoom conversation, Reflections On The Mountaintop, on February 6, at 6:30PM. The online conversation is free and open to the public with advance reservation required. Guests will be Uptown Artistic Director, Carmen Khan; Director, Ryan George, and actor, Chaz Rose. Reserve early. A ticket purchase to the show is not a prerequisite. 

REGISTER HERE (NO CHARGE)

Feb. 16, 2023

There will be a free event at Uptown on February 16, at 5:30 with Rev. Dr. Wayne E. Croft, Sr., Pastor of St. Paul’s Baptist Church in West Chester, PA. Dr. Croft will present “The Three Dimensions of a Complete Life,” a conversation on Dr. Martin King’s sermon. The presentation will be in Uptown’s Univest Cabaret space on the 2nd floor. Dr. Croft is a pastor, writer and scholar, having earned an Associate degree from Pinebrook Jr. College and graduated Magna Cum Laude from Trinity College earning a Bachelor of Arts. He received the Master of Divinity degree from Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary (now Palmer Theological Seminary), Master of Theology degree from Princeton Theological Seminary and graduated with distinction from Drew University in Madison, New Jersey earning a Doctor of Ministry degree. He also earned a Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy degree from Drew. He is the first person to earn both a Doctor of Ministry and Doctor of Philosophy from Drew University and received an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters from Villanova University in May 2018.

First come, first seated. Space is limited.  RESERVE A SEAT HERE.  

Rev. Dr. Wayne E. Croft, Sr.

Brianna Miller, Camae
Chaz Rose, Dr. King

The Story

On April 3, 1968, after delivering what became his final impassioned speech on behalf of Memphis sanitation workers, an exhausted Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. retires to room 306 at the Lorraine Motel. A wild storm has been raging outside and he orders room service. When the mysterious housekeeper Camae arrives she brings with her strange and unexpected news that forces King to confront his destiny and his legacy. “The Mountaintop” is a fictional reimagination of Martin Luther King’s missing minutes on April 3, a poetic and gripping inspiration from Tony Award-nominee, Pulitzer Prize and Olivier Award-winning playwright and television creator/producer hailing from Memphis, Tennessee, Katori Hall.

Reviews

“…a beautiful and startling piece, beginning naturalistically before shifting gear into something magical, spiritual and touching” -The Telegraph

“…the best of this show felt the way theatre can sometimes feel, like a presence and conversation you can only have live, with the people around you. The Mountaintop will invite you to reflect on your own purpose as you consider MLK’s.” – The Austin Chronicle

Winner, Olivier Award, Best New Play

Read about Katori Hall’s Come From Behind Win!

Content: Best enjoyed by audiences starting at 8th grade (approx. 13 years old). Use of an expletive, mild sexual overtones, smoking (electronic devices). Call Audience Services at 610-356-2787 for any questions about appropriateness for you and your family.

CREATIVE TEAM

Writer, Katori Hall

Director, Ryan George

DESIGN TEAM

David P. Gordon, Set Designer

Kelly Myers, Costume Designer

Jerry Forsyth, Lighting Designer

Michael Hahn, Sound Designer

Jorge Cousineau, Projection Designer

Set built by Philadelphia Scenic Works

The Collaboration

“Our focus is creating music that embraces the feeling of 1968 using the sounds of that period. From the moment you walk into the theater, to the curtain call, to the last fading of the stage lights, we experience a collective truth and learn to see that in our present day world. The music draws on the Memphis sound, Stax Records, Chicago, Motown, Jimi Hendrix, The Sound of Philly, and finally takes the audience to church with the sound of gospel singers praising the Lord. Hear voices from the First Calvary Church in Coatesville, PA.”

  • “TAKE ME UP” Written and Recorded in Marshallton, PA by John Lilley, Brent Edmondson, and Dan Gallery – JBD MusicWorks. 
    John Lilley, Brent Edmondson, Dan Gallery – JBD MusicWorks: Composers/Performers
    Richard Allen Perry: Additional Lyrics
    Pastor Roland Holmes, Jr.: Lead vocal
    Carla Harvey: Background singer
    Background singers from First Calvary Church, Coatesville, PA:
    Roberta Scott, Ella Marie Mobley
    Chip Powell: Engineer

Original music by John Lilley, Brent Edmondson, Dan Gallery – JBD MusicWorks