Photos: KING JAMES Celebrates Opening Night at Center Theatre Group

The World premiere production of Rajiv Joseph's new work "King James," celebrated its opening night at Center Theatre Group / Mark Taper Forum this week. Go inside opening night below!

Tony and Obie Award-winning director Kenny Leon directs this new play from the Pulitzer Prize-short lister co-commissioned by Center Theatre Group and Steppenwolf Theatre Company.

The cast features Glenn Davis as Shawn and Chris Perfetti as Matt. The creative team includes Todd Rosenthal (scenic design), Samantha C. Jones (costume design), Lee Fiskness (lighting design), Rob Milburn (sound design) and Michael Bodeen (sound design). Casting is by JC Clementz, CSA and the production stage manager is David S. Franklin.

Basketball great "King" LeBron James' reign in Cleveland brings promise, prosperity and renewal to a city in desperate need of all three. His legacy brings together two friends who communicate best when they are talking and arguing about sports. "King James" is an intimate exploration of the place that sports and athletes occupy in our emotional lives and relationships. It explores the star player's impact on Cleveland, from his rookie season to the city's historic championship, and the lives of these two unlikely friends whose turbulent relationship is best navigated through their shared love of the sport in a verbal game of one-on-one. Though he is never seen in the show, LeBron James serves as a symbol for the hopes, desires and fears that these two characters have bottled up since childhood.

Kenny Leon is a Tony and Obie Award-winning; Emmy-nominated; Broadway and television director. Most recently, he directed Lifetime's Emmy-nominated "Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia." Last year, he directed the Tony Award-winning Broadway premiere of Charles Fuller's Pulitzer Prize winning masterpiece, "A Soldier's Play," for which he also received a nomination for Best Director.

"King James" is the new play from Cleveland native Rajiv Joseph who burst onto the American theatre scene with Pulitzer finalist "Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo," which had its World premiere at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in 2009 before being produced at the Taper and then on Broadway. Joseph's play "Archduke" had its World premiere at the Mark Taper Forum in 2017 as part of the Taper's 50th season. He has won the Obie Award for Best New American Play twice, in 2016 for "Guards at the Taj" (also a 2016 Lortel Winner for Best Play) and then in 2018 for "Describe the Night."

Photo Credit: Ryan Miller/Capture Imaging

Chris Pefetti and Glenn Davis

Glenn Davis, Kenny Leon, Rajiv Joseph and Chris Perfetti

Glenn Davis, Rajiv Joseph and Chris Perfetti

Tyrone Davis , Glenn Davis, Rajiv Josep, Chris Perfetti and Center Theatre Group Managing Director/CEO

Kenny Leon and Rajiv Joseph

Rajiv Joseph and Chris Perfetti

Glenn Davis, Khloe Janel and Chris Perfetti

Glenn Davis, Khloe Janel and Chris Perfetti

Glenn Davis, Meghan Pressman and Chris Perfetti

Kenny Leon and Rajiv Joseph

Rajiv Joseph

William Stanford Davis, Tyler James Williams, Lisa Ann Walter, Chris Perfetti with Janelle James and Sheryl Lee Ralph

Chris Perfetti and Lisa Ann Walter and William Stanford Davis

Behzad Dabu, Rajiv Joseph and Emily Swallow

Clare Barron, King James. Rajiv Joseph and Meghan Pressman

Meghan Pressman and Glenn Davis

Curtis Edward Jackson, Tyrone Davis and Dante Alexander

Curtis Edward Jackson, Rajiv Joseph and Dante Alexander

Sophia Nayar and Kenny Leon

Sophia Nayar and Kenny Leon

Kenny Leon

Behzad Dabu

Behzad Dabu

Behzad Dabu and Sana Afzal

Jennifer Leigh Warren

Sheryl Lee Ralph, Tyler James Williams and Janelle James

Sheryl Lee Ralph

Janelle James

Lisa Ann Walter

William Stanford Davis

Anna Grace Barlow

Sam Daly

Annie Wersching

Emily Swallow

Newton Mayenge

Dante Alexander

Henri Lubatti

Peter Paige

Dominique Toney and Adrienne Rose White