From Apr. 8-15, the Georgia Southern Black Box Theatre put on an amazing performance of ‘The Mountaintop’, a story about Martin Luther King Jr. and Camae.

The play takes place in King’s motel room, 306, at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis Tennessee. Otherwise known as the motel where King was shot and killed.

When King settles in his hotel room he calls down to the lobby and asks for some coffee to be brought up to his room, that’s when we are introduced to Camae, the maid.

Once she brings him his coffee she spends time with King and we get see him flirt, smoke and drink. Which are some qualities many do not associate with Dr. King.

“The thing I liked most about this playwright is that it humanizes King but does not amp up any other aspects to make the bad things he did forgettable,” said Khadijah Carter, actress who played Camae.

“When you think of Martin Luther King Jr. you think of racism, pain, and beatings. To see him laughing, smoking, and flirting is shocking for some people,” said Akil Jackson, actor who played Dr. King.

Throughout the play King and Camae get to know each other and Camae confesses to King that she is an angel and was sent down to take him to heaven because he will die the next day.

“The emotions felt when King was told he was going to die really left an impact. The acting really made it seem like this was real,” said Harley Strickland, sophomore broadcast Journalism major.

The acting helped everyone feel connected to the script.

“I prepared to play the role of King by doing a lot of research,” said Jackson, “My father loved Dr. King and it was an honor to portray someone who is so looked up to.”

At the end of the play King is shown the future, from terrible things like war and drugs to some amazing feats like Barack Obama being elected as the first African American President.

“You have the power to change things,” said Jackson.

When watching The Mountaintop you will laugh, cry, and be at a loss for words. This is what Director Nicholas Newell was hoping to get from the audience.

“The small cast play a big part in making this script so memorable. This is really meant to surprise people, which I believe has happened,” Newell said.