Angela Bassett May Do The Mountaintop With Samuel L. Jacksonby Wilson Morales
June 15, 2011
There are reports that Angela Bassett, who will next be seen in ‘Green Lantern’ opposite Ryan Reynolds, is slated to make her Broadway debut in Katori Hall’s The Mountaintop, which Samuel L. Jackson is already attached to star in as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr..
This is the role that Oscar winner Halle Berry turned down due to her custody battle she’s having with her ex-lover, Gabriel Aubry, as well as other commitments.
This wouldn’t be Bassett’s first play in New York. In 1998, she played Lady Macbeth opposite Alec Baldwin in ‘Macbeth‘ at the Joseph Papp Public Theater.
While appearing on the NBC’s Today Show, Bassett hinted that she’s pondering doing a stage play, stating she, “weighing coming to New York to do a Broadway show.”
Directed by Tony Award nominee Kenny Leon (Fences, A Raisin in the Sun), The Mountaintop will begin performances on Tuesday, September 22, 2011, with an official opening on Thursday, October 13, 2011.
Taking place on April 3, 1968, The Mountaintop is a gripping reimagining of events the night before the assassination of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 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 young woman delivers room service, King is forced to confront his past, as well as his legacy to his people.
The Mountaintop is produced by Jean Doumanian, Sonia Friedman Productions, and Ambassador Theatre Group.
In a joint statement, Ms. Doumanian and Ms. Friedman said, “The Mountaintop is a brilliantly conceived gem of a play. An ambitious work of fiction that is powerful, heartbreaking, humorous and exhilarating. We are thrilled to be bringing Katori Hall’s remarkable, Olivier-winning work to New York, and to present a singular new American voice to Broadway audiences. And we are honored to be presenting the Broadway debut of the great Samuel L. Jackson.”
