Guides
What's on
Where to go
See all

Guides
What's on
Where to go
See all

The Mountaintop at the Royal Exchange

Kristy Stott, Theatre Editor

Book now

The Mountaintop

Royal Exchange Theatre, City Centre
25 September-27 October 2021

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

From £7.00
The Mountaintop at the Royal Exchange
Image courtesy of Marc Brenner.
Book now

Katori Hall’s Olivier Award-winning play The Mountaintop, set on the eve of Dr Martin Luther King’s assassination, plays at the Royal Exchange in rep with Glee & Me throughout October.

In 2016, Roy Alexander Weise, now Joint Artistic Director of the Royal Exchange, directed this powerful play at the Young Vic. And during the pandemic, in June 2020, the production was streamed live from the Royal Exchange via the theatre’s YouTube channel.

Now 15 months on, Roy Alexander Weise makes his Royal Exchange debut with a brand-new production of this stunning and insightful play. Starring ‘Tomiwa Edun, best known for his role as Sir Elyan in the BBC fantasy drama Merlin, and Manchester School of Theatre graduate Ntombizodwa Ndlovu, the play gets to grips with themes of race and class, leadership and responsibility, and gender and politics.

The Mountaintop is set during the height of America’s Civil Rights Movement; Edun takes the role of Dr Martin Luther King and Ndlovu plays a maid that he talks to, the night before his assassination in 1968. Set in room 306 of the Lorraine Motel, Memphis, Tennessee, in the time after giving what was his final address, Dr Martin Luther King Jr is forced to confront his beliefs, hopes and dreams. And what first appears as a simple conceit – two people having a conversation in a motel room – reveals far more than we could ever anticipate.

Perhaps now in 2021, as we continue to challenge and battle against so much uncertainty, this incisive two-hander seems more relevant than ever.

What's on at Royal Exchange Theatre

Where to go near The Mountaintop at the Royal Exchange

CUPRA City Garage DJ Decks
City Centre
Café or Coffee Shop
CUPRA City Garage

Already based in Paris, Mexico City, Sydney and Vienna, CUPRA’s international expansion is driven by culture as much as cars, and Manchester’s creative energy has clearly caught their attention.

St Ann’s Square
City Centre
Park
St Ann’s Square

St Ann’s Square is a quiet little enclave of shops, with Barton’s Arcade set back from it on one side, and St Ann’s Church, which dates back to 1712 and…

Rapha Clubhouse Manchester
City Centre
Shop
Rapha Clubhouse Manchester

AKA cyclist heaven, Rapha is more than just a cycle-wear shop. It’s a place for anyone who loves cycling to congregate and celebrate the sport together.

City Centre
King Street Manchester

King Street is one of the most picturesque parts of Manchester with buildings designed by Alfred Waterhouse and C.R. Cockerell. Once Manchester’s financial epicenter, it’s now home to high-end retail and fine dining.

City Centre
Restaurant
Lunya Manchester

Lunya is a Spanish and Catalan deli and restaurant in Manchester’s Barton Arcade. Here are the venue details.

City Centre
Shop
Aston’s Of Manchester

In Royal Exchange Arcade, Aston’s of Manchester is a tobacconist that recently branched out into whisky sales. In their shop you’ll find an interesting selection of bottles to buy, including

See all places

What's on: Theatre

The Bob Ross Effect
TheatreManchester
The Bob Ross Effect at Hope Mill

One of pop culture’s more unlikely icons – the man with the famous perm and ‘happy little trees’ – gets a theatre show. Intrigued? Us too.

From £15.50
Until
FestivalsChester
Storyhouse in the Park

Four open-air productions, films under the stars and frozen cocktails in the park – Chester’s doing summer right.

Free entry

Culture Guides

Food and Drink in the North

It's heatwave time, so set your small talk phasers to 'weather' and get out there and grab some cold drinks and delicious food.

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre

Discover the summer's most rewarding theatre in libraries, pubs, Fringe venues and unexpected spaces across the North.

“the ripple” artwork by Crowns & Owls courtesy of Good Machine.
Music

From post-industrial romance to experimental country, here's a hot new batch of weird gigs in small venues.

Blue triangles with white clouds on them against a beige backdrop. A gold sun is in the middle.
Exhibitions

Five exhibitions worth your time this month - and between them, a lot of ground covered.

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.

Emily Lloyd-Saini as Grace in Space and Harrie Hayes as Lieutenant Strong in Horrible Science
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.

See all guides