By Melissa Griegel…
Pulitzer Prize finalist Rajiv Joseph’s (Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo) new play chronicles the unexpected friendship between two men whose intertwined fortunes are tied to those of their idol, LeBron James, AKA King James. LeBron James is considered to be one the greatest, if not THE greatest NBA players in history. This highly anticipated, adrenaline-paced New York premiere about the power of connection is directed by Tony Award winner Kenny Leon (A Raisin in the Sun, A Soldier’s Play, Ohio State Murders). King James will begin previews on Tuesday, May 2, 2023 ahead of a Tuesday, May 16, 2023 opening night at New York City Center – Stage I (131 West 55th Street).
Rajiv Joseph (Director) – Kenny Leon (Director)
The show stars Glenn Davis (Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, Downstate) as Shawn and Chris Perfetti (Sons of the Prophet, ABC’s Abbott Elementary) as Matt. Also in the company is Khloe Janel as the DJ. The show is a co-production of the Steppenwolf and the Center Theatre Group in Los Angeles. Originally slated to premiere in 2020, the opening was moved to 2022 due to COVID, playing in Chicago in March 2022 and Los Angeles in June 2022. Set in Cleveland, the show chronicles the friendship of two strangers who form a bond and friendship over their love and admiration for LeBron James. The show’s scenes take place over several years, chronicling LeBron’s career as he starts for the Cleveland Cavaliers, leaves for the Miami Heat angering fans, and then returns to the Cavaliers and wins the Championship title for the team, breaking the 52-year “Cleveland Curse” in which no Cleveland team won a championship in any major league sport from 1964-2016.
Theater Pizzazz had the opportunity to speak with the cast and creatives of King James about their careers and about the show. Watch the video clip to see and hear excerpts from the interviews.
Playwright Rajiv Joseph’s play Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo was a 2010 Pulitzer Prize finalist for Drama and was also awarded a grant for Outstanding New American Play by the National Endowment for the Arts. When it came to Broadway, it starred Robin Williams as the titular character. I asked him what it was like to work with Williams. “He was an extraordinary actor and a beautiful person. He integrated into our cast seamlessly. We all became very close to him.” Joseph talked about what intrigued him about writing a play centered around LeBron James. “It has been different than a lot of my other plays, and yet at the heart of a lot of my plays is the theme of male friendship. It’s something I have always been interested in,” he said. “I have always been a sports fan. I think that young men use sports to communicate their deeper feelings to one another and I wanted to attempt to recreate that in this play.”
Rajiv Joseph – Playwright
Glenn Davis became friends with Rajiv when Davis was in Bengal Tiger. “We always talked about doing a play like this, even when we didn’t know what it would be about. I challenged him to write a two-person play. He called me up one day and said, ‘Hey, I’ve got the play. It’s about LeBron and how he impacted the people of Ohio during the time of his departure to the Miami Heat and all the good, the bad, and the ugly that it brought along with it in terms of the interpersonal relationships of the people in the city. I want to write a play about these two guys who have nothing in common except their collective affinity for LeBron and the glue of their friendship that brings them together and could potentially break them apart.” David is the Artistic Director of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company, and is involved in other theaters as well. “I think theater is in a precarious situation at the moment because so many of our audiences have not come back, the way they were coming pre-pandemic. People need to get back in the habit of seeing theater again. I think that if it is the right play, if it’s the right mix, if the marketing campaign is great, if the theater is supportive behind the play, like Manhattan Theatre Club does so well, you can find the audience.”
Although Chris Perfetti was trained in theater at drama school and has achieved accolades such as “Best Debut Performance Off-Broadway” by Theater World, much of his recent work has been on television. I asked him how being on theater differs. “Infinitely, entirely, all-consumingly. I am always more comfortable on stage. That is my home. But getting to jump between the two is a gift.” Perfetti said he feels like a very lucky guy to have been able to work on a lot of great new plays. “That’s the top of the mountain for me. That’s my sweet spot. That’s where I want to be. I would live in rehearsal of a new play forever. I thrive in that environment,” he said. Playing the role of Matt in King James has given him the opportunity to deepen the character. “I was a huge fan of Glenn before I started working on this play and I feel very close to him now. This is a play about a friendship over the course of twelve years and beyond. Rajiv in a genius.”
I asked director Kenny Leon how he became involved in King James. “They were looking for a director who loved basketball and loved theater, and that’s me. I’m a 30-year Laker fan. I met Rajiv and I have loved his work for so long and I met these two wonderful actors.” Kenny had a very busy year last year with King James, Trading Places, Top Dog/Under Dog, and Ohio State Murders. “I could do more! I love doing the work. I think the plays talk to each other,” he exclaimed. “If you are listening to the world, it will give you the answers to the plays you are working on, the stories you are working on.” He added, “As a director I am always looking to grow. I just love the challenges that the material presents. If it were too easy, I wouldn’t want to do it.” He says that he enjoyed getting to the truth behind King James. “This play celebrates those of us who get to the fourth quarter with relationships. That’s all about forgiveness. We’re all human. Rajiv is just a master of a writer.”
You can get tickets for King James at www.manhattantheatreclub.com and www.nycitycenter.org
Photos and video interviews by Melissa Griegel Photography
Featured Image: Glenn Davis, Kenny Leon, Rajiv Joseph, Chris Perfetti
