One Night in Miami [Paperback]

Before they were icons they were friends

The world would come to know him as Muhammad Ali, but on 25 February 1964, a twenty-two-year-old Cassius Clay celebrated his world heavyweight title not by hitting the town, but in a hotel room with his three closest friends: activist Malcolm X, singer Sam Cooke and American football star Jim Brown. To the outside world, they were American icons. But in that hotel room, here were four men who understood each other and their moment in history in a way that no one else could. With the Civil Rights movement stirring outside, and the melody ofA Change is Gonna Comehanging in the air, these men would emerge from that room ready to define a new world.

Kemp Powers's tough talking, in-your-face debut play premiered in LA in 2013 where it won the Ted Schmitt Award for outstanding world premiere of a new play along with three LA Drama Critics Circle Awards, four NAACP Theatre Awards and LA Weekly Theater Awards for playwriting.

This edition was originally published to coincide with the European premiere at London's Donmar Warehouse in 2016 where it received critical acclaim. It was later adapted into a feature film, released in January 2021.

Crackling good dialogue and timely themes & Powers weaves together multiple strains of plot and character with a seasoned pro's skill. His mission to present a believable slice-of-life with contemporary resonance is, like Clay's, achieved in a decisive knockout. Variety

An astounding debut for playwright Kemp Powers & Superb across the board & breathtakingly good. There just aren't enough superlatives. Powerful, funny, exhilarating - what a play. ArtsBeatLA

In less than ninety minutes, a ll+