REVIEW: King James interrogates hometown pride and fandom , Theater News

There’s a certain alchemy that occurs when someone like LeBron “King” James breaks free from the glare of their hometown. In 2003, James revolutionized basketball — and fostered a new sense of Cleveland pride — when he was drafted to the Cleveland Cavaliers. For once, Cavs fans had something to root for, a player talented enough to punch through the team’s fetid losing streak.

Yes, at the beginning of his career, James transformed Ohio sportsmanship, and brought hope to a city that desperately needed it.

So nothing could soften the blow when, in 2010, James infamously “took his talents” out of Cleveland.

James’ checkered legacy looms large over the events of King James, sensitively written by American playwright Rajiv Joseph and now playing at Theatre Aquarius in association with Alberta Theatre Projects (ATP), under the direction of Haysam Kadri (also artistic director of ATP). When we meet Shawn (Michael Blake) and Matt (Devin MacKinnon), they’re Cavs fans in their early 20s, two strangers trying to negotiate the sale of a package of tickets to James’ rookie season. Matt’s had the tickets since he was a kid, but a series of bad investments have forced him to sell; Shawn, an aspiring TV writer, wants nothing more than to see James play IRL, but Matt’s price tag is simply too high.

Soon enough, Matt and Shawn become friends, and over the years, they attend dozens of basketball games together. They curse James when he abandons their city in favour of Miami, and they exchange heated jabs when he eventually returns. MacKinnon’s Matt bears striking resemblance to How I Met Your Mother’s Ted Mosby — indeed, there’s clearly a trope for “privileged white men from Cleveland who can’t figure out what to do with their lives” — but, much like Josh Radnor as Ted, MacKinnon manages to make Matt likeable despite the character’s frequently exasperating choices.

Blake, too, finds the humanity in Shawn, who has a habit of withholding key information from Matt. More than once we watch Shawn hurt his pal by forgetting to tell him things, and over the course of Joseph’s play we’re forced to contend with the fact that, in a lot of ways, these are shitty people. When Shawn points out Matt’s racist microaggressions, it’s easy to see that he’s right, but it’s also clear that Shawn has repeatedly crossed boundaries with Matt’s family, and that the fault lines in this friendship don’t only stem from one side.

Kadri’s stylish production uses a James-themed proscenium to frame the events of King James, with a fabulous mural by set designer Brian Dudkiewicz. As well, DJ Diana Reyes provides slick transitional music between scenes — her setup, situated in one of Theatre Aquarius’ box seats, includes bright lights and a disco ball, a welcome distraction as Dudkiewicz’s set evolves from a basement wine bar into a cluttered pawn shop.

Overall, King James is an inspired programming choice for Hamilton (and Calgary, where it’ll head early next year) — both are relatively small cities that, like Cleveland, know a thing or two about the importance of hometown pride, as well as the struggle of maintaining it. There are a few kinks to iron out — an unfortunate line flub on opening night badly upset an onstage argument’s pacing, and King James’ final scene transition is a touch awkward as the set situates itself for the play’s epilogue — but on the whole, Kadri’s production fosters fabulous chemistry between its leads, with crystal-clear stakes. No need to brush up on your basketball before heading to Aquarius; one of the joys of Joseph’s script is its ability to supply context without boring the sports buffs in the room. 

King James’ concluding image, which I won’t spoil here, is so delicious and tender it demands to be seen in real time. No, neither Blake nor MacKinnon are basketball stars in their own right; but James’ final vignette might make you forget that for a moment.

King James runs at Theatre Aquarius until October 12. Tickets are available here.

Intermission reviews are independent and unrelated to Intermission’s partnered content. Learn more about Intermission’s partnership model here.

WRITTEN BY

Aisling Murphy

Aisling is Intermission’s senior editor and an award-winning arts journalist with bylines including the Toronto Star, Globe & Mail, CBC Arts, CTV News Toronto, and Maclean’s. She likes British playwright Sarah Kane, most songs by Taylor Swift, and her cats, Fig and June. She was a 2024 fellow at the National Critics Institute in Waterford, CT.

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