Lakers News: LeBron James Becomes Subject Of Off Broadway Drama

"King James" has arrived.

LeBron James is headed to Broadway!

Well, Off Broadway, technically, but still.

The Los Angeles Lakers All-Star small forward finds himself the subject of a new play, "King James," which just kicked off a run at the New York City Center Stage I yesterday and will play through June 18th. The show enjoyed previous stints at Chicago's famed Steppenwolf Theatre and with LA's Center Theatre Company.

Written by Rajiv Joseph and directed by Kenny Leon, the dramedy is centered around Cleveland Cavaliers superfans Shawn (Glenn Davis) and Matt (Chris Perfetti), who talk at length about The Chosen One from end of his rookie season in 2004 through to his second Cleveland Cavaliers stint in 2016. 

The duo celebrates and complains about James' on-court successes and failures and their own, either other over drinks at a fancy wine bar or at a curios shop in the Cavs-friendly suburb of Cleveland Heights, Ohio.

The play tracks James' trajectory from his original time with the Cleveland Cavaliers, to his "Decision" to join the star-studded Miami Heat, to his eventual return to the Cavaliers in the summer of 2014, and through the team's comeback Game 7 victory in the 2016 NBA Finals over the Golden State Warriors.

The fairly slight show seems to be getting its share of mixed notices from critics.

Here's one such less-than-favorable review:

"If I knew more about basketball, I’d try to work some clever zinger into my kicker," writes Cameron Kelsall of Exeunt NYC. "'King James' goes for a dunk off the backboard, but ends up fumbling the layup. Sound convincing? Not really. But my sad attempt gets to the heart of the game, and its fans, about as deeply as this pallid play."

Here, alternately, is a more positive appraisal:

"Like a basketball game, 'King James' consists of four quarters—er, scenes; also like a basketball game, things really heat up after halftime/intermission—a credit to Joseph, director Kenny Leon (showing a deft hand for comedy), and Davis and Perfetti, two actors of extraordinary range, writes Melissa Rose Bernardo of The New York Stage Review. "It’s a thrill to watch these two guys face off in Joseph’s theatrical game of one-on-one."

It's nice to see that at least part of LeBron James' story holds some appeal to the dramaturg set. Plenty of LBJ-centered stories have been created with his participation. Here is one that circumvents the King James seal of approval to craft something about his celebrity and the strange universe of uber-sports fandom. I'm sorry I missed it in LA.

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