By Sharon Groblicki, Standard Correspondent
The first play of Northern Stage’s 2025 Season is the Vermont premiere of “King James” by Rajiv Joseph, and no, it is not a historical play. If you were thinking of the King James whose English translation of the Bible you may have read at some point, it is not that King James.
The King James in this play’s title is LeBron James, but you don’t need to be a LeBron James fan to love this play. You don’t even have to be a basketball fan. You don’t even have to like sports! But if you like excellent theater, you will love this production. It has an amazing cast, a superb director, a great script, and a truly brilliant creative and professional team. And it is one of those wonderful heartwarming, poignant, and funny plays that will take you through the days to follow with the fond memory of having experienced a memorable theatrical event.
Andrew Gombas as Matt, left, and Darius Wright as Shawn in a scene from “King James.” Bailey Burcham Photo
Directed by abigail jean-baptiste, the script chronicles twelve years of friendship between two men who originally met because of their shared fandom. Coincidentally, writer Rajiv Joseph was initially driven to write the play because of his own fandom. Being both a native of Cleveland and a huge Cavaliers and LeBron (referred to by fans as “King James”) fan, Joseph constructed his play to mirror the ups and downs of a basketball game to the ups and downs of a friendship he constructs between two very dissimilar men. Matt (played by Andrew Gombas) is a Cleveland bartender with Cavaliers’ season tickets to sell. Shawn (Darius Wright), a writer who has recently published a short story, wants to buy Matt’s tickets for the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 2003-2004 season, the first season LeBron played for the Cavaliers.
Joseph based his play on his passion for sports, the Cavaliers, and LeBron, but also his observance that, “In this country, at least, there is the notion that some men are only able to express their emotions when they are talking about sports and I think that is what this play is about.” The play follows the structure of a basketball game, i.e. first quarter, second quarter, half-time, etc., but the game becomes a metaphor for relationships — this one in particular.
Director jean-baptiste says, “‘King James’ reminds us of how essential it is to fight for friendship amidst its complexities.” Asked to elaborate, jean-baptiste explains that friendship is often considered to be something that just happens. You meet, become friends because of a mutuality of interests or experiences and stay friends for life but friendship, like any other relationship, requires working through issues, life changes, differences in lifestyles and philosophies, and sometimes the need to support yourself through difficult times both financially and emotionally.
“The energy between these two actors,” jean-baptiste says, “is so intentional…” The “dimensionally comedic” Andrew Gombas, who was so outrageously funny in Northern Stage’s “The Play That Goes Wrong,” plays Matt, a die-hard LeBron fan whose devotion to the Cavaliers mirrors his own personal struggles. Darius Wright is quietly brilliant in the role of Shawn, whose passion is just as deep but quieter on the surface. Their respective approach to the game of basketball and their devotion to the Cavaliers reflects how each approaches life.
In the “first quarter” of the play, the year is 2004, LeBron’s rookie year — thus, the play’s dynamics and the tension reflect a typical first quarter. The characters are 21 years old. They meet, size each other up, switch approaches, dodge, rush, each trying to get a few points (in this case, dollars) ahead. Shawn wants tickets and doesn’t want to pay much. Matt really doesn’t want to sell them but wants the money.
At left, Andrew Gombas will portray Matt in the production. At right, Darius Wright will portray Shawn. Photos Provided
The second quarter is the year 2010, the year LeBron moves on to Miami. The characters mirror and respond to the loss in different ways, and the tension builds. The script’s brisk and witty dialogue, says jean-baptiste, is the perfect vehicle for these two brilliant actors. The back-and-forth parry in lines that can contain layers of meaning are handled by these actors with all the surprises, nuances, and tension that LeBron threw into his games.
Wright is making his Northern Stage debut with this show having just come off of a successful run of “Once Upon a Mattress” on Broadway. He has many other Broadway musicals under his belt, but jean-baptise tells us that this is his very first play. His vast amount of talent and experience from a wide range of musicals reflects in his acting, but this is the first non-musical play of his professional career, and jean-baptise thinks he’s a natural.
Gombas has achieved local recognition for his ability to play very different characters amazingly well. He was notable in Northern Stage’s “The Play That Goes Wrong” for his comic genius and timing, which was his second play here. Local viewers also saw him in “Sense and Sensibility,” and he has multiple credits both off-Broadway and in Regional Theater.
Director jean-baptiste, whose credits include “‘Bov Water” at Northern Stage and an amazing array of other prestigious directing venues both in her home base of New York and nationally. She was also named one of the “Powerhouse Women Directors Theatre Fans and Industry Pros Alike Need to Know” by Playbill; and was a recipient of the Miss Lilly Award, recognizing extraordinary women in theater.
Scenic Designer Chika Shimizu is another player whose excellence needs to be recognized. In the first act, the scene is La Cave du Vin, an underground wine bar that used to be a chapel. The second act takes place in Armand’s Upholstery and Antique shop, a curiosity shop with tchotchkes and oddities strewn around. Jean-baptise describes both sets, each so very different in its own way, as “glorious! A work of art, actually — massive — whole worlds with amazing detail.”
“King James” opened at the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago in March of 2022, having been made to halt production in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Joseph had already written many plays that were produced in prestigious venues, including Circle in the Square, Cherry Lane Theatre, and Second Stage. His “Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo” was awarded a grant for Outstanding New American Play by the National Endowment for the Arts.
His inspiration was the phenomenon of LeBron James — his longevity, his excellence, and his (albeit disputed by Michael Jordan fans) reign as the “GOAT.” This is an American story, a Cleveland story, and one that deals with contemporary issues, including racial dynamics. But it is a play for everyone. And even if you do not know a thing about basketball, the program includes a tongue in-cheek glossary of sports and basketball terms that are used in the play.
But if you ARE a sports fan, there are incentives for you. During the run of the show, there will be “Spirit Nights,” during which, if you wear a jersey from your favorite basketball team, you will receive a free concessions voucher.
There will also be special preview nights on Wednesday and Thursday, Jan. 29 and 30, at 7:30 p.m. on a “pay what you can” basis, and a regular preview night on Friday, Jan. 31, at 7:30 p.m. Opening Night is Saturday, Feb. 1 at 6:30 p.m. The run continues through Feb. 16 with performances on Sundays at 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.; Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at 7:30 p.m.; and Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Don’t miss it, sports fans — or non-sports fans! See you there!