'This play is a sensation' - Review: The Mountaintop, Lyceum
Neil Cooper
Five stars
The heavens sound like they're splitting in two at the opening of Katori Hall's Olivier award winning play, which imagines Martin Luther King's last night on earth in fantastical fashion. It is April 1968, and Dr King is checking into his regular room in the Memphis hotel room where he'll meet his maker having just given the speech of his life. As he pretty much crawls through the door exhausted and clearly in pain, all he wants is to have some rest and a cup of coffee from room service.
When a precocious maid called Camae delivers Dr King's beverage on what she says is her first day, what appears to be an after hours flirtation takes a startling turn to the celestial as Camae reveals she knows things about King that only his closest intimates are aware of. By the end, King's status as a reluctant prophet is guaranteed.
Rikki Henry's revival of Hall's 2009 play is a sensation. Taking an already remarkable script, Henry and his team throw in a box of tricks that make for a thrilling experience. This is the case for Hyemi Shin's seismic set as it is for Pippa Murphy's soundscape that moves from storm battered rumblings to chapel house organ permeating Benny Goodman's low level mood lighting.
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At the show's heart are two remarkable performances. Caleb Roberts as King presents a powerhouse study of a man much more vulnerable than his public persona suggests, while Shannon Hayes as Camae moves from sassy maid to something that defines both parties' futures.
Onstage throughout more than ninety minutes without an interval, the interplay between Roberts and Hayes never lets up in an increasingly wild encounter that builds into an ever more relentless scenario. As King steps out to face his destiny, a barrage of video images accompanies a litany of things to come in a big play with big ideas that shows how history shapes the future in one of the most devastating works you're likely to witness.
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The Independent
7 hours ago
- The Independent
Queen emotional as veteran goes ‘off script' to honour King's cancer battle
The Queen appeared visibly emotional as a war veteran went 'off script' to pay tribute to the King's cancer battle at a VJ Day memorial ceremony. Charles and Camilla joined Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and 33 veterans aged from 96 to 105 who served in the Far East and Pacific at a national service of remembrance in Staffordshire on Friday. VJ Day on August 15 marks the 80th anniversary of the end of the six-year war, but much of the celebration in 1945 focused on VE (Victory in Europe) Day in May, with those who served in the Far East labelled The Forgotten Army. Yavar Abbas, who was a captain in the 11th Sikh Regiment, took to the stage at the National Memorial Arboretum to read extracts from his diaries during his time in Burma in 1945, but took a moment to pay tribute to his 'brave king' first. Camilla looked at her husband sitting next to her and appeared to wipe away a tear as Mr Abbas, 105, originally from Lucknow in India, said: 'I make no apologies for briefly going off the script to salute my brave king, who is here with his beloved queen in spite of the fact that he is under treatment for cancer.' Applause rang out among the crowd of around 1,500 guests as Mr Abbas said he had also battled cancer, adding that he hoped it would bring 'comfort' that he had been rid of the disease himself for 25 years. He added: 'I salute him for gracing this occasion, because by his presence here, he has gone a long way to make sure that his grandad's 14th Army is never given the sobriquet again of The Forgotten Army.' The ceremony was hosted by actress Celia Imrie and featured readings by actor Robert Lindsay and veterans, as well as musical performances from the National Children's Choir of Great Britain, Jennifer Pike and the Royal Corps of Signals Pipes and Drums. Ahead of the service, the King, in a pre-recorded audio address to the nation, vowed that the sacrifice of heroes who fought and died in the campaigns 'shall never be forgotten'. He also significantly acknowledged the devastation caused by the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki which led to Japan's surrender, describing the 'immense price' paid by its citizens as one 'we pray no nation need ever pay again'. He said: 'Please know that the courage and camaraderie displayed in humanity's darkest hour is a flame that shall blaze for eternity – a beacon that honours our past and guides our future.' After the service of remembrance, which started with a two-minute silence and a Red Arrows flypast, the King made his way to the Far East corner of the arboretum, where he met Silas Sarbah and Khadak Chettri, the grandsons of Second World War soldiers, as well as William Slim, the great-grandson of General Bill Slim, who led the so-called Forgotten Army. He viewed tributes at the Burma Railway memorial, which is constructed from 30 metres of original track from the so-called 'Railway of Death', and took a moment of reflection at the Burma Star Memorial and the Chindit Memorial, before heading to a reception for VJ veterans and their families. The King and Queen were joined by the Prime Minister and Lady Starmer, as they met some 30 veterans who served in the Far East during the Second World War for the British and Commonwealth Armed Forces, accompanied by their families and carers.
The Independent
7 hours ago
- The Independent
With ‘CBS Mornings' ratings continuing to shrink, could Gayle King be in trouble?
Since finally closing on the politically tainted and bruising $8 billion merger last week, new Paramount CEO David Ellison has been making big moves left and right. With the ratings of CBS Mornings sliding over the past few months and the network's daily morning show mired in third place, could the network's new ownership be looking at making another sweeping change? And would that possibly entail getting rid of Gayle King, the program's most recognizable face? Well, with Ellison and his senior leadership looking to slice off $2 billion in costs from the new company, and the 70-year-old King making at least $10 million annually on a contract that ends in May, it seems more and more like a possibility, if not a probability. 'There's always speculation about her inflated salary and entourage,' a network insider said of King. 'She's undoubtedly expensive and not necessarily on the right side of the new political agenda.' The Independent has reached out to representatives for Paramount, Gayle King and CBS News for comment. Based on data from Nielsen Research, the CBS morning show is averaging 1.813 million daily total viewers year to date, through August 12. This marks a 10 percent drop compared to the same period in 2024, and places them well behind NBC's TODAY (2.405 million) and ABC's Good Morning America (2.498 million). The year-over-year plummet is even worse for the show in the key advertising demographic of viewers aged 25 to 54, where CBS Mornings viewership has sunk to 315,000 daily viewers for the year. This is down 19 percent compared to last year and far behind GMA (426,000) and TODAY (543,000). The drop also accounts for the one-day bump that the show received from King's much-hyped trip – alongside Katy Perry and Lauren Sanchez – aboard Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin spacecraft for a brief trip above Earth's atmosphere. That April broadcast brought in 3.9 million viewers, rocketing past ABC and NBC while marking the show's best performance in four years. The viewership for the CBS show, which also features co-hosts Nate Burleson and Tony Dokoupil alongside King, has sunk to such a level that it is nearly getting passed by a cable news morning program. With Fox News seeing a ratings surge this year following Donald Trump's return to the White House, Fox & Friends is up 24 percent in total viewership (1.602 million) and 17 percent in the key demographic (17 percent) year to date. 'There is serious concern about the ratings slide at [CBS] Mornings,' one network source told The Independent. 'In particular, they've seen major drops in women.' Based on an AI-generated study reviewed by The Independent, the network shared with staffers last month that CBS Mornings was perceived as having more 'distressing' and 'controversial' content than its broadcast rivals, while also having the least 'happy' and 'celebratory' programming. 'There has been a marked shift in the last few weeks to fluffier stories,' the network source added, noting that Thursday morning included a lengthy segment about Taylor Swift's new album announcement on boyfriend Travis Kelce's podcast. Another staffer said that the network 'wants to do more light stuff' and 'less dark/hard news' during the morning. Notably, last fall, CBS Mornings came under fire – and Dokoupil was reprimanded by then-news chief Wendy McMahon – following an interview in which the anchor compared celebrated author Ta-Nehisi Coates to an 'extremist' over his position on Gaza. Meanwhile, former Paramount chair Shari Redstone – a well-known supporter of pro-Israeli causes – backed Dokoupil's pointed questioning of Coates. While CBS has generally been an also-ran in the broadcast morning show wars, the Paramount-Skydance merger and much of the fallout surrounding it have sparked increasing public speculation that King could soon find herself on the chopping block and the program finding itself overhauled. Days before Skydance officially took over Paramount, the New York Post breathlessly reported that King's future at the network was 'murky' because the ratings for her 'woke' morning show had tanked, all while the soon-to-be new owners vowed to the Trump administration to 'scrap left-wing bias.' 'The 'CBS Mornings' co-host, one of the fading Tiffany Network's few remaining stars, is part of a culture that has 'dug in' against attempts by higher-ups to move away from polarizing coverage, according to sources with knowledge of the situation,' the Post noted, adding that the show's executive producer Shawna Thomas 'set a programming 'agenda' that has alienated traditional morning show viewers.' That followed a previous New York Post story from May that noted that King's 13-year career at the network 'could finally be coming to an end' after she signed a one-year extension to her contract. One network insider, however, told The Independent that the Post article seemed to 'come out of nowhere since Gayle is the biggest star.' It didn't take long for the media-obsessed Trump to seize on the story, sharing it on his Truth Social site while taking a personal shot at King. 'Gayle King's career is over. She should have stayed with her belief in TRUMP. She never had the courage to do so. No talent, no ratings, no strength!!!' Trump blared. Of course, the Post story and Trump's amplification of it don't come in a bubble. Following Trump's election, Paramount's former chief shareholder Redstone – who desperately needed the merger to be approved so she could clear roughly $2 billion – pushed for the company to settle Trump's 'meritless' lawsuit over a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris. The negotiations to settle the suit, which led to accusations of 'bribery' due to the pending merger needing the administration's approval, resulted in several senior news leaders resigning in protest. Following the $16 million payoff to Trump, the old Paramount then announced that it was canceling Trump critic Stephen Colbert's late-night show, prompting critics – some within the network itself – to allege the move was politically motivated. Meanwhile, in the days before the administration finally approved the merger, Skydance promised the Federal Communications Commission that it would install an ombudsman to review 'complaints of bias' at CBS News and eliminate all diversity policies at the company. Furthermore, Trump has claimed that on top of the pre-merger settlement from Paramount, he'd reached a secret side deal with Ellison – whose father is Oracle founder and close Trump ally Larry Ellison – for $20 million of pro-Trump PSAs to be aired on CBS once the Skydance deal was finalized. (Ellison has repeatedly sidestepped questions about Trump's claim.) Since last week's merger completion, though, Ellison and his senior executives have gone out of their way to say they don't want to 'politicize anything' surrounding the company or place their thumbs on the scales of CBS News. 'He said all the right things and more,' one CBS News staffer told The Independent after Ellison visited the newsroom right after the merger closed. Instead, it would seem their north star is the same as most major media companies these days – maximize profits while reducing costs. This has seen Ellison make wildly ambitious moves early on, even as Paramount's new executive leadership has warned there will be 'painful' layoffs coming down the pike soon. Days after Skydance closed on the deal, Paramount announced that it had secured the rights to air UFC events with a massive seven-year, $7.7 billion agreement. This came on the heels of Paramount agreeing to pay the creators of South Park $1.5 billion to continue airing the raunchy hit show's content for five more years. With Ellison also hyping that the studio will be committed to big-budget movies in the near future, such as another Star Trek film and Top Gun 3, it seems increasingly likely that Paramount's new tech-friendly leadership is going to look towards its linear networks to bear the brunt of the cuts. Especially since Paramount President Jeff Shell recently explained that, unlike other media conglomerates, they won't be spinning off their cable assets. 'We have less of our economics of the company on cable because they decline so much,' Shell said this week at a media event, suggesting that Paramount will be utilizing brands such as BET, MTV and Comedy Central to be 'building blocks' of the company's streaming strategy. That all harks back to CBS Mornings and how the recent ratings drop could potentially lead to significant changes that could include saying goodbye to King. 'We do not want to be a company that has layoffs every quarter,' Shell said this week. 'So, it's going to be painful. It's always hard, but we don't want to be a company that every quarter is laying people off… So, it is important for us to get done what we're doing in one big thing and then be done with it.' Network sources also noted that most people on the program, as well as CBS Evening News, are now waiting for Tom Cibrowski – the ABC News veteran who was brought in as president and executive editor of CBS News this past spring – to make changes to both shows now that the Paramount merger has been finalized. While the morning show has always been profitable for the network, those ad revenues have been decreasing this year due to the falling ratings – though sources tell The Independent that CBS Mornings is still turning a profit. Still, King's reported $10+ million annual salary would be an easy ledger item to cross off if the network decided not to renew her. In fact, amid the shrinking advertising dollars for broadcast and cable television as streaming has boomed, networks have increasingly parted ways with high-profile veteran broadcasters rather than continue to pay their exorbitant salaries. TODAY's Hoda Kotb, who was making $20 million a year, decided to step down last year after NBC asked her to take a pay cut. 'NBC executives loved Hoda and knew her value to the brand, but also made clear to her agents that such stratospheric contracts were no longer justifiable given the industry's inexorable decline,' due in part to the steep ratings decline affecting 'Today' and competitors like 'Good Morning America,'' Puck reported at the time. On top of that, Paramount is also crossing off not just Colbert's $15 million salary after The Late Show signs off for good in May, but also the program's roughly 200 employees and high production costs. Though the program remained the top-rated broadcast late-night show, the overall drop in broadcast viewers and dwindling ad revenues for late-night television resulted in the show losing $40 million a year. 'Late-night has a huge problem right now,' Shell said this week. 'The problem is that 80 percent of the viewership and growing is on YouTube.' In the end, though, sources at the network stressed that while King may also be viewed by many within the organization as being increasingly 'out of touch with the average viewer' due to her close friendship with Oprah Winfrey and luxurious lifestyle, there still isn't any definitive answer on her fate at this time. 'It's just speculation at this point,' a CBS staffer noted.
STV News
11 hours ago
- STV News
Scots presenter Ross King among trio of celebrities announced for Strictly
Scottish television reporter Ross King has joined former Lioness Karen Carney and Game of Thrones star Kristian Nairn as the final celebrity contestants for Strictly Come Dancing 2025. The trio were announced on Friday as the line-up for the upcoming series was completed. Glasgow-born King said it is a 'dream come true to be part of an iconic show'. The entertainment presenter features on STV's Good Morning Britain and Lorraine as a Los Angeles correspondent and has also written three novels. On joining the show, King said: 'From the bright lights of Hollywood to the glittering ballroom – it's a dream come true to be part of such an iconic show. 'I can't wait to learn from the best, meet my fellow contestants, and, most importantly… try not to step on too many toes! Let's give this the best that I can! As my mum always said: 'You'll never know till you give it a go!' Kristian Nairn played Hodor in the HBO fantasy series and currently performs as a DJ, while Carney is a sports presenter and co-hosts the Long Story Short podcast with fellow former Lioness Jill Scott. They will join the likes of Geordie Shore star Vicky Pattison and Neighbours actor Stefan Dennis to compete on Strictly, which returns next month. Carney told BBC's Radio 2 that being confirmed for the show was 'nerve-racking' but she is 'so excited' to participate. She said: 'Obviously football, I've retired six years ago, so this is something very new to me, but (I am a) huge fan of the show so I can't wait, and now it's out, which is like a relief to get it out there and say that I'm going to be on the show. 'I'm mega-excited.' The former footballer, who has played for Chelsea, Arsenal, Birmingham City and England and is currently a pundit for men and women's football, said she had kept her participation in Strictly a secret until now, adding even her family did not know. Nairn, who is also known for his role as Wee John Feeney in the HBO comedy Our Flag Means Death, told Radio 2 he is used to keeping secrets as people would question him about Game of Thrones plotlines. He said: 'I will say, doesn't mean that I'm good at it. 'Anyway, I have kept secrets for years on end about plot points, but yeah, it doesn't mean I'm very good at it.' 'It's such an amazing show (Strictly) and I love that. 'I love dance, I love music, I love movement, and I really saw it as a chance to get back into that, because it's been a long time. It really has been a long time, as you will see. 'I do have a few moves and I do have rhythm, but it's the DJ shuffle and it's very different to what I'm going to be doing now.' Other contestants confirmed for the show this year include Gladiator Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, also known as Nitro, and former The Apprentice star Tom Skinner. Skinner was announced as a contestant after the 34-year-old met US vice president JD Vance for a barbecue and drinks, with the social media personality – who befriended Donald Trump's number two on social media platform X – describing the event as 'once in a lifetime'. Also in the Strictly line-up this year is podcast host and YouTube star George Clarke, RuPaul's Drag Race UK finalist La Voix, former England rugby player Chris Robshaw, and model and CBBC actress Ellie Goldstein, who is to become the first contestant with Down's syndrome to take part in the full series. Love Island winner Dani Dyer-Bowen, EastEnders actress Balvinder Sopal, Doctor Who star Alex Kingston, and former footballer Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink will also take to the dance floor. Strictly, hosted by Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly, will return to BBC One and BBC iPlayer in September, with Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Anton Du Beke and Shirley Ballas as judges. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
