Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center is bringing an acclaimed play to the stage in West Chester this February.

“The Mountaintop” by Katori Hall is set in Memphis on April 3, 1968, the evening Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered what became famously known as his “I’ve Been To The Mountaintop” speech,

The Mountaintop is a fictional imagining of an encounter with a mysterious messenger who appears at his door at the Lorraine Motel.  This startling and gripping play, directed by Ryan George,  runs Feb. 1-Feb. 19. Opening Night is Friday, February 3 at 7 PM.  

Tickets are on sale starting at $35 with discounts and savings available for school groups, families, seniors, students and military. Discounts are also available for groups of ten or more. All performances are on the Roy A. Smith Mainstage at Uptown, at 226 N. High Street.

Tony Award-nominee, Pulitzer Prize and Olivier Award-winning playwright and television creator/producer hailing from Memphis, Tennessee, Katori Hall wrote this play.

Hall originally premiered “The Mountaintop” in a pub  in London. From there it went to The West End, where it garnered the coveted Olivier Award for “Best New Play.” Finally arriving on Broadway, it was Tony Award-nominated and became a widely produced play across the country.

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

Chaz Rose plays Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He is making his Uptown debut, but played the role in a production of “The Mountaintop” that George directed at The Hippodrome Theatre, in Florida.

In the play, Dr. King encounters Camae, who is played by Brianna Miller. Also making her Uptown debut, Miller is a graduate of Earlham College and recently has been part of the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s touring company and resident ensemble.

“Obviously the play dives deep into important discussions about race, human rights, and socioeconomic issues of America in that time period (which also very much still exists today) but what is also vitally important about this play is the joy that springs forth from it,” said George.

For more about shows, subscriptions and other events, visit uptownwestchester.org.