Navigating Broadway Through 3D Waters
According to popular legend, Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon discovered the state of Florida while searching for the Fountain of Youth – the mythical spring said to promise longevity to anyone who drinks its waters. Tony Award-nominated director Kenny Leon appears to have found the secret for endurance on Broadway – choose to work with impeccable playwrights and extraordinary actors. When asked about his selection processes on choosing which plays he will work with, Leon states, “When I choose a project to spend time with, I first have to make sure that it will make a contribution to the world. At one time, in my career I had to say yes to anything and now I ask myself, ‘Is me doing this project going to make a difference? Is it going to touch people’s lives?’ I pray on it and wait for the answer to come back. Then I usually move forward with it knowing that it’s not what the critics say about it, it’s what the people say about it.”
Leon definitely has the ear of the people and the critics. Early this fall Leon’s brilliance was seen on Broadway when playwright Katori Hall’s The Mountaintop brought new meaning to the term British Invasion. After having a successful run on London’s West End, the play that provides a fictional account of the night before Dr. King’s assassination is now playing at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre with Samuel L. Jackson and Angela Bassett in the lead roles and Kenny Leon as director. The play has been a hit with critics and audiences alike. One might have found the notion of tackling Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as subject matter for a stage production an insurmountable task, but Katori, Leon, Jackson and Bassett wove a new stitch in the tapestry of Dr. King’s legacy with out blemishing the fabric of the man or his dream. “Originally when I received the offer to do [The Mountaintop] my first thought was I didn’t want to do anything that was destructive of the iconic nature of Dr. King. My agent said it’s about Dr. King and a sexy maid, and it’s like wait a minute,” he says. “Then I said to myself, if it’s a fictitious account it might work, but if it’s trying to be realistic then that may not work. Then when I read the script, what really convinced me was how I felt at the end. At the end of the script I knew Dr. King was a man who loved his family, who loved his wife, who loved his country and who loved God and those were the things that brought me to it because those were the things that uplifted Dr. King. And Katori had a way of making this man be human but at the same time showing those values that made him great.”
This Thanksgiving, Leon will have two plays on the Great White Way. Stick Fly began previews November 18, and has a scheduled opening date for December 8. Written by Lydia R. Diamond and produced by Alycia Keys, the play stars Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Tracie Thoms, Mekhi Phifer, Dule Hill, Rosie Benton and Condola Rashad and is about a family that comes to terms with themselves one weekend on Martha’s Vineyard. Right after The Mountaintop debuted on Broadway, Leon was hard at work at the Cort Theatre helping to bring this script to life. “Stick Fly is such a great project because Lydia Diamond is such a great writer,” he says. She is an intelligent writer and she’s very funny.”
Leon is widely known as one of the foremost African American directors, with the majority of his acclaim coming from the projects he has done on stage. And it seems to me that Leon has charted a course that keeps him loyal to the theater, despite the more lucrative mediums of television and film. “I have a T-shirt that says, ‘Film is art, theatre is life, television is furniture.’ That sort of summarizes it for me,” he affirms. “I love television and I love film; they all have there ups and downs and pros and cons. I’m getting ready to do a Lifetime movie for cable and I’m very excited about it. We’re going to be able to reach a millions of people with that story. In the theater you’re only able to reach a thousand people per night. It is the ultimate 3D experience. You don’t have to put on any funny looking glasses, you can just sit there and you can see Samuel L. Jackson and Angela Bassett or Denzel Washington. It’s the closest thing to life that we have.”
With all the successes and accolades that Leon has achieved, one thing has eluded him – a Tony win for Best Direction in a Play. I wondered if not bringing home a Tony still mattered to him. “It does, but you keep going you know,” he says. In certain ways, a director is similar to an explorer. A director is given a map – the script and is told to take it, get a crew together, go off and make a great discovery. Kenny Leon has allowed his innate sense of understanding the beauty and frailty of human nature to guide him in participating in productions that are great discoveries to theatergoers each night. In 2012, Leon promises to keep the tradition of surprising himself and his fans going by continuing to work with meaningful projects. I am sure any project he works with will feature Kenny Leon’s ability to bring the soul out of the work and rejuvenate the soul of the audience in the process.
Photos: Wire Image and stickflybroadway.com
Arts, Crafts and More at the Contemporary Art Fair NYC
The second annual Contemporary Art Fair NYC is well underway at the Jacob Javits Center and will conclude tomorrow. This year additional exhibitors were featured as CAFNYC was combined with the American Craft Show. In total, there are over 190 artists from Canada, Spain and across the US showing at the fair. Along with the presenters, additional highlights include performances, demonstrations and artists talk. Last year over 5,000 visitors attended in the fair. Richard Rothbard, Director of American Art Marketing and producer of CAFNYC, believed that the numbers of this year’s event could double.
CAFNYC offers its visitors a unique experience by combining what most would consider being art with the world of craft. Like fashion and beauty, two entities that can coexist alone, but are even better when brought together, arts and crafts are symbiotic methods of creativity that seek from inspiration each other. It was extremely fascinating to see both disciplines brought together in one venue. Whether it is a purse, vase, sculpture or a brightly painted canvas, art is art.
Photo and Slideshow: F.A.M.E NYC Editor
F.A.M.E NYC Celebrates Its Second Anniversary
Two years ago, I sat down in my bedroom, grabbed my laptop and decided to embark on a journey that revolved around my beloved New York City. When I started this expedition, I had no clue who would take the ride with me. I hurled posts into the noir void of cyberspace, hoping that someone would read them and enjoy what I had to say. I sacrificed time, relationships and the opportunity to make money for a dream. I guess you can say that like the Man of La Mancha, I was dreaming an impossible dream. But thanks to my FAMERS, my dreams are steadily becoming reality.
F.A.M.E NYC is essentially a grass roots publication. We work on a budget that would not be considered a shoestring. We do not have money to pour into advertising the site nor do we have funds to do giveaways or throw lavish parties. But somehow people have found us and decided to stay loyal. F.A.M.E NYC has grown exponentially within the last year. Each day we acquire new FAMERS, receiving new hits. Thanks to you, F.A.M.E NYC’s numbers have doubled from what they were last year.
For an individual who makes her living with words, there are no words to express my heartfelt appreciation for all the support F.A.M.E NYC has received. When I try to reach out for words in my mind, they escape me. I am overwhelmed with emotion. I cannot help welling up with tears. I have no children, and besides my six-year-old pit bull, F.A.M.E NYC is my baby. The reciprocity I feel from you FAMERS is phenomenal. To know that somewhere there are individuals following F.A.M.E NYC, watching my baby grow, in different places all over the globe is astounding. And to see the ocular proof of our growth is even more amazing.
Two years later and F.A.M.E NYC is still here – still growing. I hope you will continue to grow with us. Last year, I suggested we shoot for the stratosphere; next year lets blast past it. Once again, I promise to keep my pledge to provide you with excellent content and bring you the best that New York City has to offer. I hope you will promise to continue to take this excursion with me and bring a few more of your friends along for the journey. Next year is shaping up to be another great year for F.A.M.E NYC. Also, we have a few surprises coming your way, so stay tuned.
This evening I will be celebrating F.A.M.E NYC’s second anniversary by ensuring I keep my pledge to bring you the best that NYC has to offer. This evening I will be attending a preview of Seminar, the new play starring Alan Rickman. I wish you all could be with me, but one thing is for sure, I will tell you all about it.
F.A.M.E NYC Editor
Five Years of Pinta in NYC
This fall the creators behind Pinta, the Latin American modern and contemporary art show, are not only celebrating five years of displaying the works of some of the most prominent Latin American artists in the Big Apple, they are also showing in a new location. This year Pinta welcomed the public at its new location, 7 West 34th Street. The new location also brought a new look as the show was set up like a labyrinth with sculptures, mixed media and canvases seamlessly running into each other. As in the past, New Yorkers were able to view the works of artist such as Fernando Botero, Rufino Tamayo, Wifredo Lam and Roberto Matta. Viewers also had the opportunity to witness the rediscovery of conceptual art from the 70s and 80s.
Participating US galleries included those from Manhattan, New York, Miami and San Antonio, as well as those from Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Peru, Santo Domingo, Spain, Cuba and Venezuela.
Photo courtesy of Galeria Millan
Slideshow: F.A.M.E NYC Editor
Brits Off-Broadway Off To a Smashing Start
The British are here…the British are here! And they are residing Off-Broadway. November kicks off the unofficial beginning of the holiday season, but at the 59E59 Theatres, November is the start of the 2011 Brits Off-Broadway Festival. From November 1 to January 1, 59E59 Theatres will feature the most innovative productions the UK has to offer. The festival begins with three titillating solos: Bunny by Jack Thorne and featuring Rosie Wyatt, The Maddening Rain by Nicholas Pierpan and featuring Felix Scott and Shadow Boxing by James Gaddas and featuring Jonny Collis-Scurll. Each of these expressive narratives can be seen alone or in succession.
Bunny tells the coming of age story of an 18-year-old girl named Katie. During a blistering afternoon, Katie witnesses her boyfriend get into a fight and comes face to face with racism, the future of her relationship and the truth about her pseudo contumacious way of life. Bunny is a superbly wicked fusion of The Breakfast Club and Rebel Without a Cause and includes all the oversized angst of being a teen in the 21st century. And it is only natural that it would considering Jack Thorne, the writer behind the BBC series Skins, was the mastermind behind this potent monologue. Rosie Wyatt lends a commanding voice to Gen Y that can be understood no matter which continent you reside from. She has Natalie Wood looks and Jimmy Dean swagger. Although there are some areas where Katie tends to ramble, the dissonance works with the theme of disaffected youth.
There is a line in The Talking Heads classic “Once In a Lifetime” that says, “You may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful wife. You may ask yourself, “Well, how did I get here?” It is almost guaranteed that most adults ask will ask that question once in a lifetime. It is similar to going to bed and waking up on a foreign shore. The life you dreamed of, or even sometimes did not dream of, never materializes and you are living an existence that you did not sign up for, yet are mechanically doing anyway. The Maddening Rain explores the journey of a man without a plan that ends questioning the life he carved out for himself. The protagonist, simply called “The Man,” takes the audience on a diatribe about love and finance and the consequences of losing both during the height of the global economic crisis. Poignant, zany and very well written, The Maddening Rain is a must see for any thirtysomething individual going through an existential crisis.
James Gaddas’ Shadow Boxing has been billed as, “An emotionally intense and highly physical performance.” This 60-minute pulsating, pounding drama has received rave reviews from Backstage and www.womanaroundtown.com.
If these three solos are just a sample of what is to come, then I cannot wait to view the rest of the festival. The east side should be in for some bloody good theater.
To view the current and upcoming schedule for 59E59 Theatres, click http://59e59.org/.
Photos: Joel Fildes and Upstart Theatre
F.A.M.E NYC Remembers Heavy D
Very few rappers contributed to the soundtrack of my tween and teenage years more than Heavy D. After finding out about his passing, I began to reminisce about days when basement parties and teen nights at clubs were considered nightlife, where I expended boundless energy doing the wop, Cabbage Patch, Smurf and drop of science to “The Overweight Lover’s in the House” and “Mr. Big Stuff.” Heavy D & the Boyz did not provide tales from the hood like NWA; they did not provide social commentary like Public Enemy or KRS–One nor was Hev a lyrical assassin like Rakim, but he did carve a nice lane for himself in hip-hop with his flow, catchy dance tunes and gregarious personality. He was a pioneer whose music videos help to give hip-hop of the late 80s to mid 90s, what I consider to be the golden age, a distinct visual aesthetic. There was always high energy in a Heavy D & the Boyz video – plenty of dancing and Hev was in the thick of it, doing his thing, showing that big boys could rock hard as well. As the climate of the music scene changed, Heavy D retired from hip-hop – lending his industry expertise behind the scenes as an executive as well as acting in parts on television, film and Off-Broadway.
Strange where the twists and turns of life can lead you, never did I believe that I would conduct an interview with the man whose music I used to dance to in 501 jeans and flower print shirts. But there I was, in 2008 taking pictures and holding a conversation with Hev at Daddy’s House Recording Studio. He was putting the finishing touches on Vibes, his third solo and final studio album. It was also his first reggae album. At the time, I worked as an editor for a Caribbean magazine. We spent two hours together talking about music, family and Caribbean culture. He was the consummate professional – warm, extremely gracious and charming. I did not feel like a journalist meeting a celebrity with the purpose of retrieving a story nor did I feel like a fan going to meet a childhood idol, instead our time together was very organic. We had an awesome discourse; more like catching up with an old friend than a typical interview and photo shoot. And that is why when I heard that Heavy D passed away at age 44, I felt like I had lost a friend. He was not just a rapper or actor to me, but someone that I had shared a few laughs and stories with. A person that created a memory that I will carry for the rest of my life, and although it was brief, it is always those brief, little moments that seem so precious when you find out news like this.
In keeping with F.A.M.E NYC’s tradition, I would like to share with you FAMERS a few of my favorite Heavy D videos. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and to all his fans. He was a very sweet human being whose presence will surely be missed.
A Siriano State of Mind
Rarely has there been an individual that has broken out of the world of reality television quite like Christian Siriano. Perhaps it is because he is uber talented and at the tender age of 25 has the potential to be fashion icon. Oprah Winfrey has stated that Christian’s designs are, “works of art.” And mentor Tim Gun has said that he is “the next great American fashion designer.” Although Christian did not begin his foray into the world of fashion in New York City, his career has certainly flourished here. Manhattan is undoubtedly one the Meccas for fashion and dozens of designers and models migrate to New York City to begin turning their dreams of stardom into reality. Like the song says, if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere.
Before Project Runway, Christian made wedding gowns for private clients and briefly interned for Marc Jacobs. After joining the cast of the fourth season of Bravo’s hit series Project Runway, Christian won over the viewers with his edgy coif, use of the term “fierce” and his fresh, unique design aesthetic. Along with winning fan favorite, he also won over judges Michael Kors, Heidi Klum and Nina Garcia taking home the $100,000 cash prize, a fashion spread in Elle magazine and a 2008 Saturn Astra. Following his Project Runway win, Christian debuted his line at Bryant Park and has since been a staple and favorite at New York Fashion Week. With another Fashion Week in the books, spring 2012 found Christian showing palazzo pants, belted long skirts and striped t-shirts along with elaborate gowns with touches that can be considered classic Siriano. “It was inspired by a few different things,” he says when asked about the inspiration behind his 2012 collection. “When I was originally thinking about spring, I really wanted this girl to be kind of cool, lighthearted; I really wanted her to be kind of fresh. And in researching this, I was looking for anything that was kind of interesting to me. And I was actually watching this film called ‘Summertime’ with Katherine Hepburn and it’s a beautiful film. And this one scene where she is in this coral wrap dress and it’s really vibrant and her hair is kind of tousled up and the essence of her in that moment was really beautiful. And I think that was the whole jumping off point for the story.” Christian also states that he viewed pictures of sea creatures such as barnacles and sea urchin, and from those pictures he derived inspiration for the color and textures of the collection.
Like most designers that create a fashion empire, Siriano has expanded his talents to include ventures off the runway. In 2008, he designed a 15 piece collection for Puma as well as virtual prom wear for Gaia Online’s virtual prom. In December 2008, he signed a deal to design a line of low-cost shoes and handbags for Payless Shoesource which became available in Payless stores in fall 2009. In 2011, Siriano’s Payless line was expanded. “I’ve been working with them for over three years and it’s been such a great long term collaboration,” he says. “Some of my fans are quite young and there’s not that many sixteen to twenty-five year-old-girls that can spend over one hundred dollars on a pair of shoes.” In February 2011, Siriano launched a limited collection for Spiegel catalog, named Christian Siriano for Spiegel. Siriano was the first designer chosen for the catalog’s designer collaborations line, Signature Styles.
Designers Calvin Klein, Donna Karan, Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger are all American fashion immortals that started their lines in New York City that have since become billion dollar enterprises. It is still unclear if Christian Siriano will fulfill Tim Gun’s prophecy and ascend to Pantheon of American fashion royalty. In 2010, he was named one of Crain’s Top 40 Entrepreneurs Under 40, which reported that the designer’s line has brought in over $1.2 million in revenue, so it appears the young prodigy is well on his way. Another aspect that remains clear is the inspiration he draws from New York City. “I love when I go to an event and you know people, but you don’t know who everybody is and everyone is such a mix. There is some girl in vintage and there is some girl that is super glamorous. You get such a range in New York City. It is so eclectic. You always see something different and special.”
Photos courtesy of Slate PR and Imaxtree
Slideshow photos: Imaxtree
A Celebration of Chinglish
Life is filled with episodes of hilarious miscommunication, none of which are more comical than those that occur in the boardroom and bedroom. Unfortunately when these real life scenarios transpire, the people involved do not have the brilliance of playwright David Henry Hwang to create side-splitting prose and provide subtitles for what is actually going on. Fortunately for theatergoers, Hwang did exactly that with Chinglish – the best comedy to hit Broadway in an extremely long time.
Chinglish explores the idea of being lost in translation through the eyes of businessman Daniel Cavanaugh, a ne’er do well entrepreneur running his family’s flailing signage company (and did I mentioned he worked for Enron). He travels to a modest province in China with the hopes of acquiring a few contracts that would significantly revive his business and life. But he soon learns that it is not only the language of Chinglish that is convoluted. Chinglish commonly refers to mash-up of spoken and written English language that is interpreted from Chinese, often times very badly. It is best exemplified in signs that grossly misconstrue Chinese symbols with English transcription. During the course of his stay, Daniel realizes that like Chinglish, one thing often times means something else when it comes to navigating business and love in China. But alls well that ends well, through a series of missteps Daniel learns about himself as well as how to maintain relationships, both professionally and personally.
Daniel’s initial journey in China is a comedy of errors, but this play is a comedy of triumphs! Chinglish is spectacular – it is innovative, proactive, sophisticated and extremely entertaining. The set design is as titillating as the play itself. Reminiscent of a Rubik’s Cube, the set is an ever-changing moving background, constantly folding out of itself, creating awesome synchronicity with the events happening on stage. The actors, the majority of whom are making their debut on the Great White Way, have the serendipitous fortune of using the wonderful script of David Hwang as a vehicle to introduce themselves to a Broadway stage. Gary Wilmes, who plays Daniel Cavanaugh, excels at displaying American arrogance and naiveté when dealing with individuals from different cultures. Jennifer Lim, who plays Xi Yan, is captivating; even when she is speaking in Chinese the audience will have a hard time looking away. The most riotous lines are delivered by Stephen Pucci and Larry Lei Zhang who portray Peter Timms, the British teacher trying to pass as a consultant, and Minister Cai Guoliang, the quirky politician who is in charge of approving Cavanaugh’s proposal.
Although Chinglish is about miscommunication, it is right on time. This play is primed for this millennium. It transcends the themes explored on stage and becomes a microcosm for the current state of affairs between the US and China – two entities desperately trying to figure the other out, each step toward each other taken with great trepidation. When discussing her initial reaction to the concept of Chinglish, director Leigh Silverman states, “It sounded like the most relevant, important play.” David Henry Hwang describes the system of Chinglish to be a phenomenon; well I say Chinglish the play is a phenomenon also. During a recent blogger meet and greet with Silverman and Hwang courtesy of Broadway’s Best Shows, Hwang admits, “The first time we had it read it was a lot of laughter and I realized that I written a comedy.” And through laughter, the audience discovers that human nature is the same, no matter which continent one hails from. Do not “Slip down and fall carefully,” do not gamble on missing this show, run to the Longacre Theatre and get tickets for this play. Chinglish is a winner. I smell another Tony win on the horizon for David Hwang.
Photos: Michael McCabe
Video courtesy of Broadway’s Best Shows
Downtown Theatre Goes Uptown With MANGELLA
Facebook profile updates…Twitter wars…LinkedIn networking…Skype avatars; all evidence of how the virtual world has integrated itself into the so-called “real world” to a degree that it is practically impossible to disconnect from it. Such is the case for Ned, the protagonist for MANGELLA, a hilarious, touching multimedia production presented by Project: Theater.
Ned is the scourge of the cyber world – a hacker terrorizing Asian gambling sites. He and the love of his life Gabriella, his computer that acts more like a possessive girlfriend than a mainframe, spend their day extorting money through solicited network attacks, social networking, watching porn and playing an antiquated PC game. Ned’s hacking pays for his isolated lifestyle as well as the drugs he uses on his father in an unorthodox treatment to try to evoke memories from his dementia-riddled brain, which is the result of multiple strokes. But Ned’s father refuses to believe that his is anyone other than Mangella St. James a fictional black blues legend. Ned’s cruel to be kind treatment of his father borders on insane – his father is the only living link left to his deceased mother whom he adored. He straps his father down to a wheelchair with duct tape and forces him to watch old movies. But one Flag Day, Ned has a surprise for his father and she is much more than either of them bargained for.
Lily, the hooker that shows up at Ned’s door to service his father, brings with her an air of mystery that turns Ned’s whole world upside down. Like a glitch in the Matrix, she reveals to him that not everything is what it seems. She allows him the opportunity for change – to start anew, but her tactics destroys Ned’s virtual existence, which yields tragic results for everyone.
Cheeky…thought-provoking…stylish, Ken Ferrigni penned a script that is ripe for the madness that is pop culture in the 21st century. Director Joe Jung and scenic designers J.J. Bernard and did a masterful job bringing Ned’s reality to life. The cast is equally entertaining. Anthony Manna, who plays the role of Ned, is the epitome of a cyber geek, yet in his coldness, his yearning for love is palpable and heartbreaking. Bob Austin McDonald portrayl of blues great Mangella is a real humdinger. Ali Perlwitz is amazing as Gabriella and like Lily, Hannah Wilson stings. In fact, stole my interest from the very start.
MANGELLA is playing at the Drilling Company, located at 236 West 78th Street, for a limited engagement which has been extended to October 29. I am used to going downtown to witness theatre such as MANGELLA, but I would gladly ride the one train uptown to see awesome experimental theatre like this. If you’re looking for something deliciously macabre to watch this Halloween, I recommend MANGELLA. It is Stephen King and Quentin Tarantino rolled into one. You will not leave disappointed.
Photos: Lee Wexler/ Images for Innovation
The Mountaintop, MLK Comes To Broadway
“And then I got to Memphis. And some began to say the threats, or talk about the threats that were out. What would happen to me from some of our sick white brothers? Well, I don’t know what will happen now. We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn’t really matter with me now. Because I’ve been to the mountaintop. I don’t mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life; longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land. So I’m happy, tonight. I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.” – The fatidic final words of Martin Luther King’s “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech given April 3, 1968, at the Mason Temple, headquarters of the Church of God in Christ, in Memphis, Tennessee. After his riveting oration, Dr. King went back to the Lorraine Motel where he remained through the night. The next day the Nobel Peace Prize-winning civil rights leader was assassinated as he stood on the balcony of the motel. These are the facts, but the events that transpired in room 306, often referred to as “the King-Abernathy Suite,” following King’s last speech has been the subject of debate. Forty-three years after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King and on the eve of the official dedication of The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington D.C., Broadway revisits King’s assassination in The Mountaintop.
The Mountaintop is the opus of playwright Katori Hall and takes a poetic look at crowning hours of King’s life before he made the transition from civil rights leader to martyr. The production premiered in London in 2009, first playing at Theatre503 then transferring to Trafalgar Studios and featured British actors David Harewood and Lorraine Burroughs in the lead roles. The play received positive reviews, won the Olivier Best New Play Award and was nominated for Whatsonstage Awards and Most Promising Playwright in the Evening Standard Awards. The Mountaintop has crossed overseas. It made its official Broadway debut at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, located at 242 West 45th Street, on October 13 and stars Hollywood luminaries Samuel L. Jackson and Angela Bassett.
With an emotional score composed by Grammy Award-winning jazz maestro Branford Marsalis, The Mountaintop is set entirely in room 306 of the Lorraine Motel on the evening of April 3, 1968 and opens with Dr. King (Samuel L. Jackson) returning to his room, escaping from a serious storm howling outside. As he settles in, waiting for Reverend Ralph Abernathy to return with a pack of Pall Mall cigarettes, he calls his wife, whom he calls Corrie, toils over a speech he intends to recite and orders a cup of coffee. At his door arrives Camae (Bassett), a seemingly star-struck motel maid with his java. What follows is a blistering, vivid, tender tête-à-tête that reveals Dr. King’s insecurities, mortality and his desires for the world.
Playwright Katori Hall manufactured a gem of a script, in my opinion is it is nearly flawless. She chips away at the mammoth, mythic figure that Dr. King was in life and in death and exposes him as a man with myriad emotions and frailties. So many times we place figures like the late Dr. King on a pedestal and transform, without their consent, into demigods. We dismiss humanistic qualities and dare anyone to paint a picture that is less than perfect. Really, who would have the audacity to depict Martin Luther King Jr. as a man that takes whiskey in his coffee, chain smokes Pall Malls, uses the N-word, engages in pillow fights, is riddled with fear and has smelly feet to boot. Katori Hall had the balls to do it and did so in exquisite fashion by adding the necessary tints that changed the portrait of Dr. King from a supernatural civil rights hero into a man with the extraordinary ability to rise above his foibles to fulfill his destiny. Impresario Kenny Leon hot streak on Broadway continues. His ability to sniff out projects that are rich with complex characters coupled with the touches of genius he brings to an already beautifully crafted story should garner him another Tony nomination. He is steadily showing himself to be one of the best directors on Broadway.
The two person cast of Samuel L. Jackson and Angela Bassett is sublime. In fact, Jackson could not have picked a better role in which to make his Broadway debut. There is no doubt that Samuel Jackson is one of the best character actors in the business. He possesses the knack to morph himself into a government agent, Jedi knight and crackhead and do so with the ability to bring forth the humanity in the character, uncovering their hidden truths and making them relatable to the audience. There was no man better suited to show Martin Luther King the man than Samuel L. Jackson. He utilized all of his ability in his portrayl of MLK and his depiction is no less than glorious. Angela Bassett does not need house lights; her star power can illuminate the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre all on its own. Her portrayl of the drinking, cussing, fascinating Camae scorches the stage – she is The Mountaintop. Bassett is a force whose presence can only truly be experienced watching her on stage. If you thought she was something in a movie theater, wait until you see her live. Together she and Jackson conjure magnetic energy that surges through the audience, captivating them from the rise of the curtain to its fall.
The Mountaintop is a phenomenal addition to the late Dr. Martin Luther King’s legacy. It has tremendous heart and the heart and soul of each person involved in the play is evident in this production. Perhaps, the best testament to The Mountaintop’s ability to capture the spirit of Dr. King was evident in the audience filled with people of different hues and age groups. I attend Broadway shows very often and by far this was most diverse audience I have witnessed this season. Looking at the audience made me recognize that although we still have a ways to go before Dr. King’s dream is truly realized, we are closer to the Promised Land than we have ever been and if each of us absorbs the production’s true message, we will not have far to go.
Photos: Joan Marcus and Bruce Glikas
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