Guides
What's on
Where to go
See all

Guides
What's on
Where to go
See all

The Mountaintop with the Royal Exchange

Kristy Stott, Theatre Editor

Visit now

The Mountaintop

10-22 June 2020

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

Free
Theatre in Manchester
Image courtesy of Helen Murray.
Book now

Katori Hall’s Olivier Award-winner The Mountaintop, set on the eve of  Dr Martin Luther King’s assassination, will be streamed online via the Royal Exchange’s YouTube channel.

In 2016, Roy Alexander Weise, now Joint Artistic Director of the Royal Exchange, directed this powerful play at the Young Vic. Now in June 2020, this incisive two-hander will see performers, Gbolahan Obisesan and Ronke Adékoluejo reunited once again.

Set during the height of America’s Civil Rights Movement, Obisesan takes the role of Dr Martin Luther King and Adékoluejo plays a maid that he talks to, the night before his assassination in 1968 in Memphis. The pain and rage felt, and the scale of the resultant protests continues right now – right across the world – following the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Weise said, “ We are on the cusp of something that could change the story of humanity and the quality of life for every human being to walk the earth from this point forward. We all have a part to play. As we think on the life of Dr King, may we also think of the lives lost and those sacrificing theirs right now for the lives of all our children and their children yet to come.”

Bringing communities together through incisive storytelling and because Black Lives Matter.

The Mountaintop will be streamed for free on the Royal Exchange’s YouTube channel on 10 June and will be available until 15 June. Donations are invited, to raise funds to support the legal costs incurred by those incarcerated whilst protesting.

The reading will be introduced by Weise and writer, Katori Hall, who won the Olivier Award for best new play in 2010 for The Mountaintop.

Where to go near The Mountaintop with the Royal Exchange

Rochdale Town Hall is a Victorian-era municipal building in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England. It is
Manchester
Rochdale Town Hall

Rochdale Town Hall is a Victorian-era municipal building in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, widely recognised as being one of the finest municipal buildings in the country.

Cafe Beermoth
City Centre
Bar or Pub
Cafe Beermoth

Cafe Beermoth is the very definition of a modern Manchester pub – relaxed, friendly and with a wide range of carefully curated booze options.

Chorlton
Restaurant
Horse and Jockey Chorlton

Chorlton’s magnificent Horse and Jockey has had an almighty do-over, transforming it into one of South Manchester’s top must-visit drinking and dining destinations.

The Curling Club - Vinegar Yard
Castlefield
The Curling Club

New Jackson in Manchester is having a full scale seasonal takeover. Think curling lanes, lively bars and a packed line up of DJs and performances.

Chadderton Town Hall
Manchester
Event venue
Chadderton Town Hall

Chadderton Town Hall is a magnificent example of Edwardian architecture . Built in 1912/13 in the style of ‘English Renaissance’ and recently restored maintaining its traditional features in regal reds

Cumbria
Restaurant
Heft

A Michelin star restaurant and homely 17th century inn in the Lake District, with food provided by esteemed chef Kevin Tickle.

Tangerine
Chapel Street
Restaurant
Tangerine

Manchester’s latest must-visit multipurpose venue, offering top-level food, drinks and live shows.

Bar Posie
City Centre
Bar or Pub
Posie

A new cocktail bar from the crack team behind 10 Tib Lane and Henry C.

See all places

What's on: Theatre

A Christmas Carol at Bolton Octagon
Until
FamiliesBolton
A Christmas Carol

Bringing music, laughter and a welcome dose of festive cheer, a brand-new adaptation of the Dickensian classic is the perfect festive treat for families this Christmas.

From £15.00

Culture Guides

Music in the North

Manchester’s starting the new year with a run of gigs from some of the country’s best underground exports.

Textured portrait image of Jarman
Theatre in the North

Theatre across the North West splits between festive escape and sharp, urgent work exploring politics, power and resistance.

Food and Drink in the North

Hear ye, hear ye. Take some eating-out tips from our wintertime guide to food and drink in Manchester and the North.

A doll with makeup peeks out of a hanging wall of butter yellow fabric. Red and black threads descend and cascade around the doll.
Exhibitions in the North

This season, exhibitions across the North West feel attuned to the world beneath the world – the forces and stories shaping how we see, feel and imagine.

A performer in a bright red costume sits on a snowy stage set, holding a large snowball between their legs with a surprised expression. The colourful winter backdrop features snowflakes, hills, a snowman, and a traffic light with glowing lights.
Family things to do in the North

Whether you’re after storybook theatre, museum wanderings or illusion-bending play spaces, there’s plenty to keep curiosity ticking through winter and beyond.

A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night
Cinema in the North

There's no shortage of great films out at the moment, whether you're looking for the latest blockbuster, that hot arthouse flick fresh from Cannes or a cosy classic.

See all guides