By Joanne Engelhardt
It doesn’t matter whether you know nothing about basketball – or are a rabid fan. It does help if you know that “King James” refers to LeBron James and not the King James Bible.
Playwright Rajiv Joseph has created a jewel of a play that is far more about relationships, growth, and friendship between two young men as it ebbs and flows over 12 years. Christopher Fitzer’s thoroughly researched and exquisitely detailed sets add an essential layer to this production, as does Giovanna Sardelli’s steady, level-headed direction.
” … the talents of (the) actors …make this production of James …”
But because there are just two characters in King James and both are on stage almost 100% of the time, the talents of actors Kenny Scott as Shawn and Jordan Lane Shappell as Matt make this production of James. Did they succeed? How about a standing ovation at the play’s end – not on opening night but at a 2 p.m. matinee on a Sunday?!
One of the clever concepts Joseph came up with in James is to give his play four scenes – representing the four quarters of a basketball game. Scene 1 occurs in 2004 in a small, handsomely furnished bar in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, where Matt works. A diehard Cavaliers fan, Matt has to sell his coveted tickets to the remainder of the Cavalier games because he’s short on money.
That’s when Shawn shows up, literally drooling to buy the tickets, though the amount he can afford to pay is far below what Matt expects to sell them for. Matt tells Shawn that another person is coming in shortly to buy the tickets for face value –- but when a phone call reveals the other buyer has dropped out, Shawn wheedles Matt down and eventually gets the tickets.
Then Matt asks Shawn who he’s taking with him to see the games, something Shawn hadn’t considered. He realizes no one would appreciate going to them more than Matt – thus, a basketball friendship develops between the two men.
Scene 2 of this intriguing dramedy is six years later. Matt’s still working at the same bar when Shawn, a writer intent on going to Hollywood to “make it big,” walks in wearing a red Cleveland Cavalier shirt – of course with “23” emblazoned on it.
Once more, the two men chat about their lives, hopes, and plans. Both seem to anticipate each other’s move, much like a basketball player. At times, they effortlessly weave and duck across the theatre’s wide stage.
Joseph cleverly gives his play the same cadence as a basketball game. Intermission takes the place of the half-time break. Before the play begins –- and at the start of each scene — Steven Mannshardt’s lighting bounces around the large theatre, coupled with stadium sounds during scene changes.
Several years pass between scenes, so each time Matt and Shawn meet up again, they have changed — sometimes for the better. They also appear to mature somewhat, although their maturity and fortunes ebb and flow.
In Act 2, Shawn has moved to Hollywood and is a writer on a sitcom. But, he admits to Matt, it sometimes feels like he’s the token Black person who doesn’t get much chance to contribute.
Whether this is true or a skewed perception, Shawn ends up back in Cleveland Heights and becomes closer to Matt’s parents than Matt. The “antique/junk” store they own is the setting for Act 2. Theatergoers could spend hours looking at all the cute/bizarre/valuable/useless items on the set.
Symbolic of the store is a leather armadillo that has been in the store forever. The store itself is called “Armaads,” so there’s that. Another unique antique is the giant globe that, when the top half is lifted off, houses a classy array of alcoholic bottles.
Fitzer does double duty, designing both the sets and costumes. Though there aren’t many costumes, each one here seems matched with what’s happening to the character wearing it.
In short, like a smooth basketball player at his peak, King James moves along effortlessly until the play comes to a logical, if perhaps expected, end.
In this reviewer’s opinion, it’s too bad the play doesn’t cover James’ decision to get out of his second stint in Cleveland to accept a big, fat contract with the LA Lakers (where King James still resides).
-30-
Aisle Seat Executive Reviewer Joanne Engelhardt is a Peninsula theatre writer and critic. She is a voting member of the SF Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle (SFBATCC). Contact: joanneengelhardt@comcast.net
| Production | King James |
|---|---|
| Written by | Rajiv Joseph |
| Directed by | Giovanna Sardelli |
| Producing Company | TheatreWorks Silicon Valley |
| Production Dates | Thru Nov 3rd |
| Production Address | 500 Castro St., Mountain View |
| Website | www.theatreworks.org |
| Telephone | (877) 662-8978 |
| Tickets | $34- $115 |
| Reviewer Score | Max in each category is 5/5 |
| Overall | 4.75/5 |
| Performance | 4.75/5 |
| Script | 4.75/5 |
| Stagecraft | 4.75/5 |
| Aisle Seat Review Pick? | YES! |