A Play Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Comes To West Chester

WEST CHESTER, PA — Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is famous for his 1963 "I Had A Dream" speech at the Lincoln Memorial.

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.,” King said.

Two weeks after our nation celebrates the civil right activist's legacy on Monday, Jan. 16, Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center is bringing “The Mountaintop” to center stage.

"The Mountaintop" tells a fictional story of King's last day on earth, April 3, 1968, before he was assassinated. It was written by award-winning playwright and television producer, Katori Hall, of Memphis, Tenn.

King spent his last day giving an impassioned speech, "I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” on behalf of Memphis sanitation workers who went on strike after the death of two workers were crushed by a truck.

The play is set in King’s in his hotel room on April 3, 1968. King comes in contact with a mysterious messenger, Carmae, an angel sent by God to bring King to heaven.

“This play is important in countless ways,” Ryan George, director, said. “It’s a wonderful exploration of MLK Jr. as a man.

"Not just the larger than life icon that gets discussed in the general way, but the red-blooded, flawed, funny, anxiety ridden, hope-filled man," he continued. “The father, the husband, the friend that gets to just exist in a private space that we as the audience peer into during the length of the show.”

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is played by Chaz Rose, who played the role in a production at The Hippodrome Theatre, in Florida.

Rose graduated from the University of the Arts, Philadelphia, and performed off-Broadway in “Black Angels Over Tuskegee” and “She Like Girls."

Camae is played by Brianna Miller. Miller graduated from Earlham College, Richman, Va. She was part of the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s touring company and resident ensemble.

JBD Musicworks is part of the creative team, and features John Lilley from The Hooters, Brett Edmonson, a professional bassist and composer and Daniel Gallery.

The play runs Feb. 1-19. Opening Night is Friday, Feb. 3 at 7 p.m.

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. Tickets are available here.