Review: KING JAMES at Round House Theatre

The play King James –now at the Round House Theatre ---is like a pleasurable afternoon shooting hoops with a friend in the summer. This character-driven play by Rajiv Joseph (who gave us the play Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo---which was presented at Round House in 2012) is entertaining and refreshingly absorbing in moments; it lingers in the mind like a fond glow.

With the shared love of basketball as a metaphorical and literal bonding mechanism, two distinctly different personalities form a friendship in Cleveland, Ohio. The psychological mirroring of the maneuvers of the legendary basketball player LeBron James, with the challenges of the various life trajectories and emotional events of the two characters in this play, form the emotional basis of much of the mood of the proceedings.

As one friend moves away twice (--an outstanding performance by Blake Morris as Shawn--) to pursue study and a career in screenwriting, so does LeBron James leave Cleveland to join the Miami franchise of basketball. Gregory Perri (excellent in his role) as the more taciturn Matt- works at a wine bar but also, begrudgingly, accepts the fact that he must work at his family’s upholstery/antiques store to make ends meet –this is a compromise that he is loath to admit.

However, playwright Rajiv Joseph makes clear that the pain and vagaries of life are unavoidable as success, petty jealousies and aggravations are a part of life’s ebb and flow. In basketball, a championship season might take years to achieve; two friends might take decades to truly forge an ironclad friendship.

As the years go by, life takes different turns in the fortunes of Matt and Shawn, and their love of basketball keeps their friendship alive through moments of challenge. The shared passion of basketball is so intense that the unpredictability of Matt and Shawn’s favorite players (Michael Jordan’s basketball fame is also mentioned) and their beloved Cleveland Cavaliers reflects on their own fraternal unpredictability. Issues of racism, loyalty, and extended families are also explored with complexity.

Director Rob Ruggiero nicely picks up the pace of this two -hander in the second part of the play (creatively titled “the third and fourth quarter” -as in basketball) after a somewhat overly expository “first and second quarter.” The initial scenes of this comedy-drama are very well-written by playwright Rajiv Joseph but, the night I attended the play, the initial scenes were a bit too turgid and stolid in tone with long pauses that elicited call outs of anticipated lines from the audience.

Playwright Rajiv Joseph explores the type of “male buddy” terrain that I have seen in plays by David Mamet and Sam Shepard, but he has his own unique writing style –there is a touch of real affection, intellectual heft and nuance in his writing that kept my interest.

The scenic design by Luke Cantarella is superb with a beautifully designed wine bar and a very authentic looking upholstery/antiques shop replete with a stuffed armadillo.

Lighting design by John Lasiter is effective and enhances the moods of the play.

This fascinating play was presented by Round House Theatre in partnership with TheaterWorks Hartford and Barrington Stage Company.

If you value deep friendship and enthusiastic discussions of shared interests, do not miss the comedy and drama of King James.

Running Time: Two Hours including one intermission

King James runs through June 22, 2025, at the Round House Theatre located at 4545 East-West Highway, Bethesda, Maryland, 20814.

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