True Blood’s Nelsan Ellis is to attend the opening night of “The Mountaintop,” Katori Hall’s Olivier-winning play examining the final hours of of the life of Martin Luther King Jr. The play opens at Broadway’s Jacobs Theatre on October 13. Directed by Kenny Leon and starring Samuel L. Jackson and Angela Bassett, the limited engagement runs through January 15, 2012.
In addition to Nelsan, a slew of celebrities and politicians are expected among the first-night crowd including Alicia Keys, Spike Lee, Liev Schreiber, Gayle King, Magic Johnson, Gabourey Sidibe, Mayor Cory Booker, Anthony Mackie, Al Roker, Christina Ricci, Phylicia Rashad, Cicely Tyson, Ruby Dee, Congressman Charles Rangel, Courtney B. Vance, Star Jones, S. Epatha Merkerson, Rev. Al Sharpton, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Pauletta Washington, Debbie Allen, Ben Vereen, Joel Grey, Lily Rabe, Julian Bond, Nelsan Ellis, Tracy Reese, Harry Belafonte and more.
Taking place on April 3, 1968, The Mountaintop is a reimagining of events the night before the assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. (Jackson). After delivering his legendary “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech, an exhausted Dr. King retires to his room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis while a storm rages outside. When a mysterious maid (Bassett) delivers room service, King is forced to confront his past, as well as his legacy to his people.
source: broadway.com
