Cleveland Playhouse’s ‘King James’ is a study of true friendship
My wife and I have had the good fortune to raise two exceptional young men. One of the many gems of wisdom that I had imparted on them growing up was “choose your sports gods wisely.” They were taught never to get too caught up in the whole “win or die” attitude that some fanatics seem to have. I also taught them that there is really no such thing as a “home team” as athletes come from all around the world to join professional American teams. It also seemed that most professional athletes will flit from team to team depending solely on their inflated ideas of self worth and a desire for a bigger paycheck. These teachings have served my sons well.
In the Cleveland Playhouse production of Rajiv Joseph’s “King James” currently on stage in the Outcalt Theatre at Playhouse Square the ideas of “fandom” and its consequences are clearly illustrated.
Two men, one black and one white meet for the first time. Matt (Michael Patrick Trimm) who is white, works at an upscale wine bar in Cleveland. A bad investment has forced him to sell his remaining home Cleveland Cavaliers tickets for the last games of LeBron’s 2004 rookie season.
Enter Shawn (Robert Hunter) an up and coming Black professional writer who has sold his first short story to a major publisher. His limited new found wealth allows him a chance to fulfill a life long dream of attending some Cleveland Cavaliers games. With all of the LeBron hype, tickets are scarce and quite overpriced. Matt is asking $6,000.00 for the set of two mid court tickets per game for the remainder of the season while Shawn is limited to $2,000.00. The show is set in “four quarters” with the first quarter focused on the negotiations.
The two men spend time learning about each other. Matt comes from a comfortable upraising (having attended Cavalier games since age six). Shawn grew up well going to a good high school but there was never enough money for “extras”. When Matt gets word that another interested party has dropped out of the bidding he agrees to sell Shawn the set of tickets then asks who his “new friend” is taking to the games. Shawn agrees to let Matt come to the games as his guest.
In the second quarter (act) it is 2010 and LeBron James has announced his decision as a free agent to leave Cleveland and join the Miami Heat. This throws Shawn into a tail spin as he struggles with a decision of his own. He has applied for and been granted a writing fellowship in New York City and will also be leaving Cleveland.
LeBron James serves as a backdrop to Matt and Shawn’s lives as their friendship deepens. When either man is financially challenged the other lends a hand which happens in a back and forth manner throughout the show. They integrate themselves into each other’s families especially serving “hospital time” when called on. In the third quarter they split on a racial misunderstanding as Shawn leaves for Los Angeles to further pursue his writing career.
The stage design by Tony Ferrieri is brilliant with a revolving wall. We begin at “La Cave du Vin” then travel to Matt’s over stuffed family antique shop in Cleveland Heights. The lighting design by Jakyung C. Seo works well with the more subdued lighting of the wine bar and the more airy feel of the antique shop. The use of hundreds of props gave authenticity to the scene. Howard Patterson is in charge of the sound design which worked perfectly ditto with Jasmine A. Golphin’s projections.
The show is much like opening a bottle of decent wine as director Monteze Freeland allows time for the characters to develop (breathe) and for the story to develop at an even pace. Michael Patrick Trimm as Matt and Robert Hunter as Shawn are totally believable as two grown men thrown together by happenstance and a love of Cleveland basketball. Theirs is a natural relationship that deepens with each scene.
Regardless of the title, this is not a show about LeBron James. It is as show about two men who through a quirk of fate become friends and as the years go by lend aid to each other because that is what friends do. At times sentimental, at times jarring but at all times believable it is a show worth seeing. Choose your sports gods wisely.
The Cleveland Playhouse production of “King James” will be on stage in the Outcalt at Playhouse Square through March 23, 2025. For more information and tickets go to https://www.clevelandplayhouse.com/ or call (216) 241-6000.
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