By sheer coincidence, as the curtain falls on opening night of King James—Rajiv Joseph’s riveting new play about a long-term friendship built on a mutual love for basketball star LeBron James—the Los Angeles Lakers will be playing the Denver Nuggets in game 1 of the NBA western conference finals. James, the all-time leading scorer in the history of the league, will be on the floor. Let’s hope there’s ESPN at the afterparty.
But King James—now at Manhattan Theatre Club after its world premiere at Chicago’s Steppenwolf and a stop at L.A.’s Mark Taper Forum—isn’t concerned with the Lakers. Set in the suburb of Cleveland Heights, Ohio, the dramedy focuses on Shawn (Glenn Davis) and Matt (Chris Perfetti), two die-hard Cleveland Cavaliers fans. We first meet the men in 2004, when James was a rookie but already drawing comparisons to Jordan; then we jump to 2010, after the infamous “I’m taking my talents to South Beach” press conference; four years later, the prodigal son is returning, championship rings in tow, to his beloved Cleveland Cavaliers; finally, it’s 2016, and Cleveland has overcome a dramatic 3–1 series deficit to defeat the Golden State Warriors in the finals.
Don’t let all this basketball stuff scare you off. Not a fan of LeBron? It’s not an issue. Can’t tell a jump shot from a lay-up? No sweat. Don’t follow the NBA? Don’t worry. (This is coming from someone who’s never watched a pro basketball game in her life…despite growing up in the Bad Boys era of the Detroit Pistons. Dumars, Salley, Rodman, Thomas, Laimbeer—you know the ones.) A healthy obsession with some kind of sport, however—or at least a tolerance for those of us who, for instance, count down the days to college football season—certainly won’t hurt. “I’m tired of sports. It’s a sickness,” Shawn says in a moment of weakness. But Matt knows better: “Being a fan is like having a religion,” he replies. Remember the “I believe in the church of baseball” line from Bull Durham? It’s like that.
[Read Frank Scheck’s ★★★★☆ review here.]
You’ll notice that the men’s friendship moves almost entirely in tandem with James’ career. In fact, he’s the one who essentially orchestrates their meeting: Matt needs to unload his season tickets to pay some debts; Shawn is a prospective buyer, a lifelong Cavs fan who’s never been to a game. Not surprisingly, they end up bonding over basketball and LeBron. Just as the star makes his move to Miami, Shawn makes an unexpected move of his own. And when Shawn returns to Cleveland, the dynamic in their friendship is drastically different. He needs funds to jumpstart his career, while Matt is suddenly flush, and, as it turns out, all too happy to play white savior—though he’d never admit it. Later, when Shawn has the financial upper hand, the vibe shifts again. He’s got the ball now.
Like a basketball game, King James consists of four quarters—er, scenes; also like a basketball game, things really heat up after halftime/intermission—a credit to Joseph, director Kenny Leon (showing a deft hand for comedy), and Davis and Perfetti, two actors of extraordinary range. (DJ Khloe Janel keeps the crowd pumped pre- and mid-show with hits from Prince, Janet Jackson, and 50 Cent—along with Marvin Gaye’s funkified, and revolutionary, live rendition of the national anthem.) Among Davis’ most memorable roles: a tough-talking sex offender in Bruce Norris’ Downstate; a thickheaded U.S. soldier in Joseph’s Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo. And while Perfetti is currently best known for the award-winning sitcom Abbott Elementary, he’s a theater pro; his last off-Broadway appearance was as the melancholy Masha in Halley Feiffer’s contempo-Chekhov comedy Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow. It’s a thrill to watch these two guys face off in Joseph’s theatrical game of one-on-one.
King James opened May 16, 2023, at New York City Center–Stage 1 and runs through June 18. Tickets and information: manhattantheatreclub.com
