Last night in Memphis
It’s April 3, 1968, the first day on the job for Camae, a young black woman engaged as a maid at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis. She’s been called to Room 306 to supply coffee and cigarettes to its occupant, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., who is dispirited after delivering a speech on the plight of Memphis sanitation workers that ended with some unsettlingly premonitory words (“Well, I don’t know what will happen now. … But it really doesn’t matter with me now, because I’ve been to the mountaintop. And I don’t mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life; longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will”).
Stuck in the motel room while it’s pouring outside, Dr. King banters with the maid, revealing concerns about the fact that his feet smell, frustration upon discovering he doesn’t have a toothbrush and a quandary about whether he should shave off his trademark moustache. As their dialogue evolves into a full-fledged philosophical sparring match, however, it becomes apparent that Camae’s detailed knowledge of the reverend’s private life indicates that she’s more than the routine service-sector employee she appears to be.
Written by American playwright Katori Hall when she was in her 20s, “The Mountaintop” disgracefully was denied a place on the American stage, receiving its premiere instead in a tiny (65-seat) London theater in 2009 where it met with great acclaim (“A beautiful and startling piece … magical, spiritual and touching” — The Daily Telegraph), moved to larger quarters and won Britain’s Olivier Best New Play Award (making Katori the first black woman to garner the prize).
It’s since been produced around the world and can be seen through Aug. 28 on the stage of Chester Town Hall as the final production of the Chester Theatre Company’s season. Shows are Fri., Sun., Thurs., 2 p.m; Wed., Thurs., Sat., 8 p.m. $37; $10 students. chestertheatre.org
An interactive chamber concert
Consisting of artistically inclined and socially minded local teachers, graduate students and administrative professionals, the Common Music Collective came together in 2015 out of concern that attendance at live music, art, theater and dance events has been declining. “The collective’s goal is to reverse this trend by increasing the dialogue between artists of all kinds and their audience members in hopes of broadening the scope of what live performance can be in the local community and beyond,” says artistic director Sarah Bleichfeld. “We believe that there’s no ‘wrong way’ to listen to classical music, and we strive to create an environment during our shows in which everyone can feel free to express their appreciation for the music in a way that feels appropriate and meaningful to them.”
For its performance of Schubert’s Cello Quintet Wednesday at the Northampton Community Music and again on Thursday at Grace Episcopal Church in Amherst, the CMC is inviting audience members to respond to this sublime piece — regarded by many as “the greatest work in the chamber music repertoire” (musicologist Melvin Berger) — by sketching or writing throughout the recital. Also on the program: Sergei Prokofiev’s String Quartet No. 1 in b minor.
Both concerts are at 7 p.m. $10 suggested donation.
— Dan DeNicola