Travel magazines may think a city has arrived when its chefs challenge its citizenry with bold creativity, but it could be a lot more telling to look at the theater listings. Luckily for Portland, several artistic directors are working hard to find plays that provide a rich range of experiences. Among the most promising this season are three that all in some way remind us of how history resonates with the present, in personal and political ways.

“THE MOUNTAINTOP,” written by Katori Hall, at Portland Stage in November, is an intimate glimpse of Martin Luther King Jr. just after giving his “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech in support of sanitation workers on strike in Memphis and, more broadly, of all poor people in America. As the Black Lives Matter and Occupy Wall Street movements attest, we continue to grapple with the racial and financial injustices that King spoke of that night. Katori, a Memphis-born African-American playwright, invites us to see not just King the inspiration, but also King the man. The play takes place in Room 306 of the Lorraine Motel on April 3, 1968, the eve of King’s assassination; the only characters are King himself and a young, trash-talking hotel maid.

“There’s the reality of the hotel room, but the play steps beyond that and gives a whole metaphorical aspect, a magical realism,” said Portland Stage Artistic Director Anita Stewart. “You start to see how we put stereotypes on people, and you gradually come to a different understanding. The play is very, very hopeful, but it shows that we’ve got to take on that torch that King passed us.”

OPENING OCT. 28, Good Theater stages the world premiere of “Mama’s Boy,” written by Rob Urbinati and directed by the theater’s artistic director, Brian P. Allen – a peek into a similar time. The play’s lead character is Marguerite Oswald, mother of Lee Harvey, who became known for her bizarre behavior after her son’s death. Their close relationship is rich fodder. Don Delillo mined this territory for his excellent novel “Libra.”

” ‘Mama’s Boy’ is a fascinating look behind the scenes at this unique, intense family,” Allen said. “The play takes place before the assassination of JFK and the days immediately following. I think Good Theater audiences will enjoy being the first audiences to see this play.”

FROM NOV. 6-15, Dramatic Repertory Company will stage “The Cockfight Play” (not its actual title, but a family-newspaper-friendly placeholder), a deft, tense and emotional drama that takes on sexual identity and a plain, old-fashioned love triangle, written by British playwright Mike Bartlett. The play stipulates no costumes, props, or pantomime, said Director Keith Powell Beyland, a challenge he says he and his actors are excited about.

“This allows us to concentrate on the drama of the scene and do emotional blocking,” Beyland said. “Mike Bartlett writes language plays. They fizz and crackle as they unfold. It will be unlike any show you have ever seen.”

Daphne Howland is a freelance writer based in Portland.

Copy the Story Link