Orpheum Theatre Group Partners With Hattiloo Theatre to Present an MLK50 Event

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – As part of a special MLK50 event, five performances of Katori Hall’s The Mountaintop will play March 28-April 1 at the Halloran Centre at the Orpheum. Tickets are on sale now.

The Mountaintop stars Larry Bates (Jitney, HBO’s Big Little Lies) reprising his role as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Danielle Truitt (Disney’s The Princess and the Frog, BET’s Rebel) reprising her role as Camae for which she was nominated for an Ovation Award and the NAACP Theatre Award. This production is directed by Roger Guenveur Smith (American Gangster, TVOne’s Behind the Movement) whose recent directing credits include the Los Angeles production and the Los Angeles Theater Works radio adaptation of The Mountaintop.

Written by American playwright Katori Hall, The Mountaintop is a fictional depiction of the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.'s last night on earth set entirely in Room 306 of the Lorraine Motel on the eve of his assassination in 1968. It premiered at a small theatre in London before transferring to the West End and winning the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play in 2010. Following its London success, The Mountaintop opened on Broadway in 2011, starring Samuel L. Jackson and Angela Bassett.

Tickets are on sale now and available for purchase online at the official Orpheum Theatre website: www.orpheum-memphis.com, the Orpheum Box Office (901-525-3000), and Ticketmaster. Special group pricing is available by calling 901-529-4226 or emailing groups@orpheum-memphis.com.

About Roger Guenveur Smith:

Actor/Director Roger Guenveur Smith stars in Behind the Movement opposite Meta Golding, currently on TVOne. His Rodney King is currently on Netflix, Academy Award nominee Spike Lee's adaptation of Smith's solo stage performance. Smith has worked with Lee on many films including the classics School Daze, Do the Right Thing, Malcolm X, a recent cameo in Chiraq and the Peabody Award winning adaptation of Smith's solo performance A Huey P Newton Story. Other recent film works include The Clapper for Dito Montiel and Marshall for director Reginald Hudlin. Smith also has a lead in The Birth of A Nation and a supporting lead in Rick Famuyiwa's comedy Dope. Roger recently recurred on Ava Duvernay's Queen Sugar and guest starred on Black Jesus. His classic film work includes King Of New York, Deep Cover, Final Destination and Ridley Scott’s American Gangster. Roger's recent directing credits include the Los Angeles production and the Los Angeles Theater Works radio adaptation of The Mountaintop and for the Public Theater’s Under the Radar Festival, The Hendrix Project, which he developed at the California Institute of the Arts. Other credits include the Miami, Los Angeles and New York productions of the Obie Award winning Radio Mambo: Culture Clash Invades Miami.

About Hattiloo Theatre:

Hattiloo Theatre values and celebrates the cultural diversity and rich history of Memphis and the Mid-South region. As a Black repertory, Hattiloo focuses on works written by and/or about African-Americans. Hattiloo frequently partners with other arts organizations and nonprofits, such as the Halloran Centre, in collaborative projects that expand and diversify audiences. Entering its 13th season, Hattiloo is committed to deepening multicultural understanding and delivering a high-quality artistic product to the Memphis community. For more information, visit www.hattiloo.org.

About the Orpheum Theatre Group:

The mission of the Orpheum Theatre Group is to enhance the communities we serve by utilizing the performing arts to entertain, educate, and enlighten while preserving the historic Orpheum Theatre and the Halloran Centre for Performing Arts & Education. For more information, visit www.orpheum-memphis.com.

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