By Barbara Smith, Voice and Viewpoint
While LeBron James never makes an appearance in the play, King James, onstage at the Old Globe Theatre, his presence is felt throughout. Basketball is referenced in the story, and fans of the hoop will have an inside track on some of the narrative, but at its heart, playwright
Rajiv Joseph’s King James is a thoughtfully and lovingly woven portrait of friendship and family, of dreams dashed and fulfilled, and ultimately about the threads that hold us together.
The setting is Cleveland Heights, Ohio with action taking place in four scenes, akin to the four quarters of a basketball game. The Old Globe’s Shiley Stage with its in-the-round set, suggestive of a basketball arena, is masterfully designed by Lawrence E. Moten III.
The play opens in 2004 in the wine bar where aspiring entrepreneur Matt (Caleb Foote) is the proprietor and Shawn (Joshua Echebiri) has come to hopefully score season tickets to the Cavaliers that Matt is reluctantly selling. Shawn is black and Matt is white. They come from different backgrounds but connect in their shared passion for basketball and especially their hometown team.
Growing up going to the games with his father was a big part of Matt’s childhood, but his father’s health issues called an end to those experiences. Shawn works three jobs, one of which is a writer. We learn of his aspirations to make a career of writing although he admits to some insecurities of venturing beyond his modest beginnings.
Both have undivided loyalty to then rookie/star LeBron James. As the scenes progress, an unlikely bromance blossoms between the two. They talk about sports, women, family, and careers. They kibbutz with each other, get drunk with each other, all the while working through their individual trials in pursuing their dreams.
The play’s construction is smart with each scene marked by a progression in James’ meteoric career. In 2010 LeBron deserts Cleveland for Miami, his arrogance a source of disgust for many in his nationally televised spectacle “The Decision;” in 2014, the native son returns to his Ohio roots to mixed reaction; and in 2016, the Cavs triumph over Golden State, their first NBA championship in 52 years. Basketball forms a relatable motif to the larger themes of friendship and loyalty.
Directed by Justin Emeka, the acting in this 2-character play is superb. Echebiri’s Shawn has a cool kind of swag, nuanced with a sensitive side, his idealism narrowing as he pursues his education in New York and career opportunities in Los Angeles. Once outside his Cleveland
roots, we see his naivete crumble with the realization that, as the only Black in the writer’s room for an absurdly premised TV series, his voice got smaller and smaller to the tone-deaf creators.
Foote’s Matt is endearing with sometimes childlike humor. He frequently broadcasts his philosophy in hilariously misguided logic but sometimes gets it right on. Both have excellent comic timing, and some fun and cleverly staged antics with nods to basketball–a shoot-around where the two buddies vie to dunk paper wads into the trash can, increasingly elaborate fist
bumps involving arms and legs, and a “chalk up,” one of James’ crowd-pleasing rituals–make for engaging entertainment.
Race is not an overt issue in the play, that is not until the second act when what could be an angry offhand remark of Matt ignites a heated exchange between the two friends. Even among the audience was heard a collective gasp and then silence. Careless comment? Unconscious bias? The scene is well scripted and powerfully acted.
Theatre has the power to entertain and transport, and this it does in Rajiv Joseph’s honest piece of writing. Whether you are a Cavs fan, or any team for that matter, King James is a good bet to
win your heart. Timed nicely with March Madness this month, King James runs through March 31.
