David Greig on his final production at Edinburgh's Lyceum Theatre: 'it felt vital that this play be seen in Scotland'

As he prepares to leave his post as artistic director of Edinburgh’s Royal Lyceum Theatre after ten years, David Greig tells Joyce McMillan why he has chosen to bow out with a staging of Katori Hall’s ‘modern classic’ The Mountaintop

The American playwright Katori Hall was born in Memphis, Tennessee, 44 years ago; so it’s perhaps not surprising that early in her career, when she was still only in her twenties, she was moved to write a play that revolves around one of the most momentous events ever to take place in her home city.

On 4 April 1968, the great civil rights leader Martin Luther King was shot dead on the balcony of his room at the Lorraine Motel, Memphis.

The previous night, he had delivered his “I Have Been To The Mountaintop” speech at a rally in the city, as part of an intense campaign tour.

Hall’s award-winning play – first seen in London in 2009 – is set in the hours following that speech, when King, alone in his room, encounters a hotel maid, Camae; a young woman with the face of an angel, who, it turns out, is something quite other than she seems.

Now, the play is receiving its Scottish professional premiere at the Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh.

The production also marks the final production of David Greig’s ten-year stint as artistic director of the theatre, as James Brining takes over the reins.

“With the world in polarised chaos,” says David Greig, “it just felt urgent and vital to me that this play be seen in Scotland.

Caleb Roberts and Shannon Hayes in rehearsals for The Mountaintop PIC: Daniel Holden

“Dr King’s ‘I Have A Dream’ speech was such a high point in postwar history, and his assassination a corresponding low.

“Both are the seeds of so much of the world we live in now; and Katori Hall’s play is a modern classic, that tackles that moment head on.” In Edinburgh, the play will be directed by Rikki Henry, a young British director who has worked extensively in France and Germany in recent years, with Shannon Hayes playing Camae, and Caleb Roberts in the role of Martin Luther King.

“I first saw the play almost ten years ago, when it was revived at the Old Vic,” say Henry, “and it really made me concentrate, and begin to see things differently.

“It shows Martin Luther King in a new light, as a human being rather than an iconic hero, and I think there’s a real urgency about reviving it now, when all these ideas are being challenged again.

Caleb Roberts in rehearsals for The Mountaintop PIC:

“Towards the end of the play, King talks about legacy, and about passing on the baton of the huge campaigns he led.

“And I think that today, when there’s so much political chaos, the question we have to ask is where is the baton? Who has it now, and how can we support them?

"One thing the play makes clear, though, is that you don’t have to be a celebrity to play your part, and to make an impact.”

“I’ve been reading a lot about Dr King’s life,” says Caleb Roberts, “and watching film of him, of course, and certainly his presence is huge, and it’s a challenge to capture that.

"Without giving anything away, there are aspects of this production that make it easier to show how strong he was, physically as well as emotionally and intellectually.

"But he was human, too; and I hope this play encourages people at least to see him a little differently. I know theatre can’t often change people’s minds; but it can maybe change their perspective a little, and I hope this play does that.”

And Shannon Hayes agrees. “I think one of the most important messages of this play is that no matter how low or small you are, or feel yourself to be, your actions still matter.

"Everybody has a shared responsibility in shaping what the future looks like, and no one can avoid that responsibility by putting the whole weight on the shoulders of a leader who is supposed to fix it all.

"And if we can make people feel that shared responsibility for taking Dr King’s legacy forward – well, then we’ll be doing a good job, with this amazing play.

The Mountaintop is at the Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, 4-21 June, with previews on 31 May and 3 June