The Mountaintop

I went to see a late afternoon performance of "The Mountaintop" by Katori Hall at LARK Play Development Center. Wow! It is a brilliant two-character piece that is chock full of ideas. I was engaged emotionally though not ripped out of my seat by bogusity. Kudos to director, Kamilah Forbes. Great performances by Dominique Morisseau and Jordan Mahome. 

A hallmark of good directing is the sense of unanimity of ideas, themes, concepts though each individual actor is allowed unfettered creative response. I think this was achieved by Kamilah Forbes. Kamilah kept the play, i.e. the action focused though densely populated with visual interest. 

Dominique Morisseau was compelling to the eye and ear. Her performance was deft -- balancing artistic tensions so that the cat is not out of the bag before the climax. Her surprisingly thick and regionally specific accent/dialect was employed expertly. The magic (also the play’s core strength) is that when the conceit is revealed, it all seems plausible. You know this because this is what you would have wished for MLK -- on that last night. There is self control and self-awareness in Dominique’s performance. All of us will take her hand when she asks for it -- and we all must. Every beat was flawlessly, knowingly reached and one had the delightful feeling of being borne along to the climax of the drama.  

Jordan Mahome handled MLK expertly. He resisted the temptation to imitate MLK. Instead he brought us a life-sized man. Oh so many things were wonderfully done! You saw the fullness of his charm and his intelligence and his vulnerability and his profound solitude. Again every beat of King’s realization of his circumstances was beautifully drawn on Jordan’s face -- on his whole body.  

The two actors were in lovely concert -- as if dancing the play. 

There are so many moments that are fresh and knowing -- fully explored and developed ideas that resonate. I’ve got high hopes for Katori and “The Mountaintop.” This is a wonderful expression of Lark’s mission -- to offer the opportunity to DEVELOP AND SEASON a play. Highest praise and hopes for the success of this project and all the participants!