By Marc Berman
The Mountaintop is a fictional account of the way that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spent his last night on earth, before his tragic assassination.
I caught “The Mountaintop” at the Claridge Hotel in Atlantic City on it’s opening day, January 21st which just happened to be Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. A final performance in Atlantic City, before the play embarks on a national tour, is Friday January 24th.
Dr. King had been in Memphis on behalf of sanitation workers. It was during this visit he delivered his “I’ve been to the Mountaintop” speech.The Mountaintop takes place entirely in room 306 of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis on April 3, 1968 the day before Dr. King’s assassination.
Dr. King checked in and was getting situated in his room when he called room service for coffee. A knock at the door reveals Camae, an attractive new female hotel employee. The interaction between these two is thought provoking, captivating and very emotional.
Leonard Dozier who portrays Dr. King in his captivating performance will display a different side of the activist, minister and leader of the Civil Rights Movement. You will see this inspirational man as also vulnerable and flawed, all brought out by his conversations and interactions with Camae.
The dialogue between the two becomes heated, flirtatious, somber and at times playful. Camae eventually forces Dr. King to face his own mortality.
Yes, Mountaintop is fictional, however as you watch the conversations that unfold you can’t help but think that the conversations could have taken place.
This very passionate and convincing performance by Leonard Dozier as Dr King and Torez Mosley as Camae, an opinionated maid and angelic figure, will keep you riveted for the entire hour and 45 minutes. A standing ovation by the entire audience followed the performance.
Leonard Dozier is a South Jersey native and graduate of Pleasantville High School. When Dozier was a 10th grader at Pleasantville High School, his principal,Noman King, asked him to recite Martin Luther King Jr.’s most-famous speech, “I Have a Dream,” at an MLK commemoration service.
Today, Dozier is a two-time Broadway-World Best Actor nominee and ADDY award-winning voice actor. He is the voice of the NFL, NBA and NASCAR. He stars as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in a play he produced and the Associated Press calls as audacious as it is inventive….playwright Katori Hall keeps her audience guessing.”
Tickets are available at Eventbrite.com/themountiantop
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Marc Berman is a Former Talk Radio Host, Travel Photogrpaher and Director Of Marketing for Berman Travel. Prior to that, Marc owned Marc Berman Entertainment, a very successful DJ company in Philadelphia from 1978 thru 2004. Marc is a strong advocate for Atlantic City and that’s where he and wife Susan live year round.
