Tom Schreck

It is the mid 1970's and Elvis is frustrated with, well, being Elvis. His manager has just turned down a starring role in Streisand's "A Star is Born", a vehicle Elvis had hoped would challenge his true acting chops. Filled with existential angst and feeling misunderstood by everyone and everything surrounding him, he reluctantly reaches out to the one individual on the planet who just might understand the plight of being the most recognized person in the world - Muhammad Ali. Ali, struggling with his own self-image and humanity, enthusiastically invites the King to the log cabin on his training camp for a summit. There they discuss, argue, and almost fight as they pursue issues of fame, religion, the military, women and their place in this life. With turns at the piano and the guitar, their discussions are punctuated with lessons of the Blues, Southern Gospel and Folk. Ali's message to Elvis is simple, be true, be who you are and get back to being a person first and then get among the people. Elvis takes The Greatest up on his challenge and closes the show in an unforgettable way.A Note on Historical Accuracy According to most biographers, the two men met twice. The first time was a brief encounter before one of Elvis' shows. The second meeting was more significant and is the one that is captured in popular photographs. It was during this meeting that Elvis presented Ali with the robe styled after his jumpsuit. The back of the robe read "The People's Choice". Muhammad told a TV Guide interviewer in 1980 that he invited Elvis to his training camp and convinced him to sing at a local bar. Most historians believe that it wasn't uncommon for Ali to tell tales. The events the two men discuss in "The King and the Greatest" are taken from various biographies. Though the meeting at Deer Lake probably did not occur, the events that are discussed throughout the play are considered historically accurate.

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