The Mountaintop at the Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh

Katori Hall's Olivier-award winning play, set the night before Martin Luther King was assassinated in her hometown of Memphis 57 years ago, is nothing short of extraordinary; the most powerful play I have seen in a long, long time.

It puts the iconic civil rights leader in a motel room, an ordinary man, troubled and vulnerable, with holes in his socks and smelly feet, fighting off a cold. Cue Camae, a playful, excitable maid who brings him coffee, and a conversation which will not only change him forever but has him talking on the phone to God! It's a fast talking, emotional, explosive exchange with moments of real comedy, expertly executed by award-winning duo Caleb Roberts (I watched King's last speech online after the show and Roberts' impersonation was 100 per cent spot on) and Shannon Hayes. Sadly, the play illustrates that America hasn't really moved forward since 1968 despite men like King, and his character's final moments on stage were so heart-rending and compelling that a stunned silence hung over the Lyceum as the audience filed out, shocked and tearful.

The Mountaintop is at the Royal Lyceum Theatre until June 21.