Steppenwolf's 'King James' delivers powerful message on friendship
“King James” - ★ ★ ★ ½
Leaving Steppenwolf Theatre after Tuesday's premiere of Rajiv Joseph's “King James,” I couldn't help thinking about how chance and proximity factor into a friendship. Initially, they are the twin sparks that kindle friendship's flame. And while keeping the embers burning is another matter altogether, it's the combination of the two that starts the fire.
So it is with Matt and Shawn, the Cleveland Cavaliers fans around whom Joseph centers his perceptive, warmhearted, two-hander whose title refers to LeBron James, the teenage basketball phenom turned NBA legend who led the Cavs to their first championship. Unfolding over four scenes - titled “quarters” and punctuated by hip-hop and R&B courtesy of DJ Khloe Janel who also provides “pregame” entertainment - “King James” chronicles the evolution of a friendship that would not be if not for basketball.
We meet them in 2004, during James' rookie season, when Shawn (Steppenwolf co-artistic director Glenn Davis) shows up at the Cleveland wine bar where Matt (Chris Perfetti of ABC's “Abbott Elementary”) works. Matt, a white college dropout, dreams of opening an upscale bar. He's selling his season tickets so he can pay off creditors and silence his disapproving parents. Shawn, a Black aspiring writer working two jobs, can't afford Matt's asking price.
During the haggling that ensues, we learn that Matt's parents own a secondhand store named Armand's and Shawn's mother has multiple sclerosis. Matt has fond memories of attending Cavaliers games with his dad. Shawn has never been, but that's about to change now that he has some disposable income from the sale of his first story. Shawn is lonely. Matt is drifting. Surrounding them is an air of unease - subtly conveyed by the top-notch Davis and Perfetti - for which basketball is the balm.
The bond they establish at their first meeting deepens and strains over subsequent years. Joseph juxtaposes James' career milestones - 2010 when he left the Cavaliers for the Miami Heat; 2014 when he returned to Cleveland; 2016 when he led the Cavs to an NBA title - with watersheds in Shawn's and Matt's lives.
There's Shawn's announcement that he's moving to New York City where he's been accepted into a graduate program, which he hopes will open doors to a television writing job.
“Small market, here. Cleveland. If you want to maximize your potential ... you gotta skip town,” says Matt, the comparison to James' departure implicit. “We should all put ourselves in the best position to succeed.”
For the record, director Kenny Leon's aching coda to that scene - which wordlessly depicts everything these friends cannot express - is among the play's most moving moments.
Several years later, his writing career stalled, Shawn returns to work at Armand's while Matt manages an upscale bar he co-owns. Professional peaks and valleys notwithstanding, one constant remains: their devotion to their team until an insensitive comment from Matt about James' return to Cleveland and “knowing his place” creates a seemingly irreparable rift.
That confrontation feels forced, but overall Joseph's writing has enormous appeal. His dialogue is unforced and funny (the baby goat joke made me laugh out loud). His characters are familiar. Clearly, Joseph, whose more profound examination of friendship “Guards at the Taj” ran four years ago at Steppenwolf, knows of what he writes.
Leon's direction is as economical as Joseph's script. As for Davis and Perfetti, they are superb. Navigating Shawn and Matt's relationship, every note rings true.
Theatrical accomplishments aside, “King James” serves as a reminder that while friendships begin by chance, they're sustained by compassion, tolerance, forgiveness and a healthy dose of humor.
Consider that the next time you make that overdue call to a distant pal.
Location: Steppenwolf Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St., Chicago, (312) 335-1650, steppenwolf.org
Showtimes: 8 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 3 and 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday through April 10. Also 2:30 p.m. March 30 and April 6. No 8 p.m. show April 10
Running time: About 2 hours, with intermission
Tickets: $20-$88
Parking: $15 in the Steppenwolf parking lot; limited street parking
Rating: For teens and older; contains adult language
COVID-19 precautions: Proof of vaccination and masking required
“King James”
½
Location: Steppenwolf Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St., Chicago, (312) 335-1650,
steppenwolf.orgShowtimes: 8 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 3 and 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday through April 10. Also 2:30 p.m. March 30 and April 6. No 8 p.m. show April 10Running time: About 2 hours, with intermissionTickets: $20-$88Parking: $15 in the Steppenwolf parking lot; limited street parkingRating: For teens and older; contains adult languageCOVID-19 precautions: Proof of vaccination and masking required