THE MOUNTAINTOP

Pasifika Theatre movement FCC is bringing New Zealandly acclaimed play The Mountaintop by African American playwright Katori Hall to the stage with an all Pasifika cast and director.

Based on a fictional account of Martin Luther King's last night on earth, The Mountaintop is an award-winning historical imagining just as relevant in today's tumultuous times of Black Lives Matter and Charlottesville as in 1960s America. Written by Katori Hall, the work has never been performed in New Zealand or by Pasifika actors in the starring roles.

1968. The Lorraine Motel Room in Memphis, Tennessee. Room 306. Martin Luther King has just delivered what will be his last speech, "I've been to the Mountaintop". In his hotel room, he waits for an aide to bring him some cigarettes, but instead he meets Camae, a feisty maid who is not what she seems.

This is the New Zealand premiere and the first time an all Pasifika cast has taken on an New Zealand play of this calibre, with David Fane (800 Words, Sione's Wedding, BroTown) taking on the role of a lifetime in historical icon, Martin Luther King Jr. Fane has worked with co-star Nicole Whippy (Nothing Trivial, Auckward Love, A Streetcar Named Desire) on screen before but this is their first stage collaboration.

Director Fasitua Amosa (Dirty Laundry, Auckland Daze, A Streetcar Named Desire) has directed Inky Pinky Ponky and the upcoming Still Life with Chickens, both for Auckland Theatre Company.

The Mountaintop was first produced in London in 2009. Katori Hall made history the following year as the first black woman to win an Olivier Award for Best New Play. The Mountaintop debuted on Broadway in 2011 with Academy Award nominees Samuel L Jackson and Angela Bassett.

FCC is a Pasifika theatre collective created by acclaimed writer, producer, and director Victor Rodger. It is a platform for creating opportunities and connections for emerging and established Pasifika theatre practitioners. The Mountaintop is the fifth FCC production, following on from Club Paradiso starring Robbie Magasiva (Wentworth), PUZZY starring Frankie Adams (Shortland Street), Wild Dogs Under My Skirt (Best Director, Auckland Theatre Awards) and Ranterstantrum.