The Old Globe Theatre, Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre in the round to be exact is currently mounting Rajiv Joseph’s “King James”. Joseph, Pulitzer prize winning playwright “Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo” and “Guards at the Taj” (both seen here,) has stretched his muscle with his current offering, “King James”.
It’s not about a king nor is it about King James. NO! , it’s references are to LeBron James the one time ‘Rookie of the year who became the all-time leading scorer of the NBA (for those not knowing the initials:National Basketball League). Over time, he was referred to as King James.
Oh, BTW he played for the Cleveland Cavaliers until he left to join the Miami Heat, another basketball team, to the wrath of his followers.
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| Caleb Foote and Joshua Echebiri |
Supposedly, one does not have to be familiar with all those facts, but so much is referenced, it doesn’t hurt. For all intents and purposes, “King James” is about male bonding. Both characters in the play Matt (Caleb Foote) and Shawn ( Joshua Echbebiei ) are die heart Cavalier fans, never met and live in worlds apart. What bonds them together in friendship is basketball.
TMI? Yours truly has little to no factual information about basketball players or their records. The last time my husband and I followed basketball was in the ‘50’s when Bob Cousy played for the Boston Celtics.
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| Caleb Foote and Joshua Echebiri |
Both Foote (who played in “Hand to God” at the Rep. years ago) is a high energy, oft times over the top bar owner of an upscale bar who needs money to pay off some debts. He is white. Echebiri has his heart on being a screen -writer in LA or NY, and is Black.
Matt has premiere Cav. seats for sale that Shawn wants to buy. Their first meeting is casual with a give and take about the price of the tickets and a lingering conversation that one might call a casual introduction. Both seem to be loners.
The 2+ hour show is divided into four quarters and runs the span of a twelve year period. With the changing tides, the friendship goes back and forth with more of the friendship deepening as they learn more about each other’s families and desires, thoughts and emotional turmoil. The first act has lots of quick witticisms and banter but needed something more to hold this reviewer’s attention.
The play picks up speed in the second act, third quarter when feeling comfortable and letting his guard down, and in an angry exchange of James’ leaving the Cav’s high and dry, Matt blurts out “that LeBron should know his place”. A silence fell over the theatre. Here you have it. Racism rears its ugly head between two best friends. It takes years before we see them together again.
Scenic designer Lawrence E. Moten III shows Matts work-place, an upscale bar called La Cave du Vin in Cleveland Heights, Ohio where the two meet and a completely separate design for Matt’s parents eclectic upholstery store with a stuffed armadillo in the window where Shawn helps out at times, giving him access to Matt’s parents that takes an interesting turn.
Both sets are detailed with enough room in the round for director Justin Emeka to move the two characters around so that neither is facing one direction for any length of time. Over time they are more comfortable with each other and, as Matt says, “We’ll get through this life together.”
As plays go, “King James” would not be my all- time high of plays to see again. I would say two hours stretched the limits of my endurance of basketball facts to the core. Even though male bonding is an interesting topic and the actors worked wonders with the material, it’s just that basketball as the metaphor to use for male bonding as seen through the male eye is out of my league.
You be the judge.
See you at the theatre.
When: 7 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays; 8 p.m. Fridays; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; 2 and 7 p.m. Sundays. Through March 31
Where: Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, Balboa Park, The Old Globe, 1363 Old Globe Way, Balboa Park
Photo: Rich Soublet II)
Tickets: $33 and up
Online: theoldglobe.org
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