Directed by Rob Ruggiero, Runs January 30 – March 2, 2025
Produced in Partnership with Round House Theatre and Barrington Stage Co.
TheaterWorks Hartford, under the leadership of Artistic Director Rob Ruggiero and Managing Director Jeff Griffin, announces details for its 2024-2025 production of King James. The Connecticut premiere of this wonderfully funny and moving new comedy from the mind of Pulitzer Prize-finalist Rajiv Joseph is a celebration of friendship and fandom.
LeBron James was just the hero Cleveland needed. Over 12 years, from LeBron’s rookie season to an NBA Championship, Matt and Shawn eat, sleep, and dream over their love of basketball, while forging a deep bond over their worship of the “King.” This wonderfully funny and remarkably moving new play explores the place that sports occupy in our lives.
“Ever since I first experienced this story live in the New York production, I knew it would find a place in TheaterWorks Hartford’s season. It’s some of the best writing that I’ve encountered. It’s funny, it’s real, it’s moving. It’s also one of the few plays that centers male friendship, and the challenges that come with that,” says Artistic Director Rob Ruggiero on the production. “This season, we’re producing the work of some of the best contemporary writers in America, and King James takes the ‘crown.’ I really think this is on the short list of the best written plays we’ve produced. I cannot wait to share this extraordinary story with our audiences!”
The cast of King James includes George Anthony Richardson (Topdog/Underdog BWAY) and Gregory Perri (Good People BWAY, MTC), both of which will be making their TheaterWorks Hartford debuts.
The creative team for King James includes Tony King (assistant director), Sarah Cooney (casting director – Round House Theatre), Luke Cantarella (set design), Danielle Preston (costume design), John Lasiter (lighting design), Kevin L. Alexander (sound design), Lauren Marina (props lead), Naysan Mojgani (dramaturg), Michael Lenaghan (director of production), and Tom Kosis (production stage manager).
King James runs from January 30 – March 2, 2025. Performances are Tuesdays through Thursdays at 7:30pm, Fridays at 8pm, Saturdays at 2:30pm & 8pm, and Sundays at 2:30pm. The run time is approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes with an intermission.
Tickets are priced at $25 – $70 (fees not included). All tickets can be purchased online at twhartford.org or by calling the box office at 860.527.7838.
About the King James Artists:
Rajiv Joseph (Playwright) is an American playwright and screenwriter known for his thought-provoking and emotionally charged works. Born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1974, Joseph graduated from Miami University with a degree in creative writing before going on to receive his MFA in playwriting from NYU Tisch School of the Arts. Joseph made his Broadway debut in 2011 with the play Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo which starred Robin Williams in the leading role. The play received critical acclaim and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Joseph’s other notable stage works include Gruesome Playground Injuries, Animals Out of Paper, and Guards at the Taj, which won the 2016 Obie Award for Best New American Play. In addition to the Pulitzer Prize nomination, Joseph has received the Kesselring Prize for Drama, the Laurents/Hatcher Foundation Award, and the Whiting Award for Drama. In addition to his work in theater, Joseph has also written for television and film. He wrote the screenplay for the 2011 film Draft Day, which starred Kevin Costner, and has written for the Showtime series Nurse Jackie and the Netflix series Russian Doll.
Rob Ruggiero (Director/Artistic Director) has been a part of TheaterWorks Hartford’s artistic leadership for 30 seasons. He has directed over 70 shows, including TWH’s productions of Fun Home, The Sound Inside, American Son, The Legend of Georgia McBride, Constellations, Next to Normal, Relativity (with Richard Dreyfuss) and Christmas on the Rocks, which he also conceived. His Broadway credits include Looped (starring Valerie Harper in a Tony-nominated performance) and High (starring Kathleen Turner) which had its world premiere at TWH. He also conceived and directed the musical revue Make Me a Song: The Music of William Finn which moved off-Broadway and was nominated for Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards. Rob conceived and directed Ella, a musical about Ella Fitzgerald, which saw sold-out runs in 24 regional theaters and was produced as a National Tour. His work on plays and musicals has received multiple awards in Connecticut and around the United States. Rob regularly directs at Goodspeed Musicals where over his 16-year relationship he has directed many award-winning musical productions including this spring’s The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Internationally, he directed Fiddler on the Roof in Athens, Greece.
Tony N. King (Assistant Director) makes his TheaterWorks Hartford debut with King James and is thrilled to join the directorial team. A multi-hyphenate artist, Tony works on stage, television, and as a playwright and voice-over actor, recently voicing for the 2024 Master’s Tournament. He is represented by Avalon Artists Group and Innovative Artists. Notable stage credits include The Royale (Jay Jackson), Rent (Tom Collins), A Raisin in the Sun (Asagai), Toni Stone (King Tut), and Little Shop of Horrors (Audrey II). Tony holds an MFA in Acting from the University of Connecticut. Visit tonynking.com.
About the King James Cast:
George Anthony Richardson (Shawn): The roots of George Anthony Richardson are grounded in Merced, CA. A 2021 graduate of The Juilliard School, past productions include Tanya Barfield’s Blue Door (Juilliard), Cardboard Piano by Hansol Jung. He made his broadway debut in the 2023 Tony Award winning revival of Suzan Lori-Parks Topdog/Underdog before completing another run of the play at Palm Beach Dramaworks. Developing a keen lens for the human capacity through storytelling as an actor has propelled him to step into writing and directing as well. Richardson’s past directing credits include the Off-Broadway production Tearrance Arvelle Chisholm’s Hooded; or Being Black For Dummies at 59e59 Theaters. Anthony looks forward to diving into Rajiv Joseph’s captivating story that not only explores friendship and loss, but also the ways we connect to each other that has the power to transcend social barriers. Something basketball has always done. Instagram: @_anthonyrich
Gregory Perri (Matt): TheaterWorks Hartford: Debut. Gregory recently served as the understudy for Matt in MTC’s production of King James. Other select NY credits include: Good People (Broadway, MTC) Idea Of Me (Cherry Lane Theater) A Loss of Roses (Peccadillo). Select regional credits include Smart People (Arena Stage), The Whipping Man (Syracuse Stage), Macbeth and The Comedy of Errors (Shakespeare on the Sound). TV: “The Other Two,” “New Amsterdam,” “FBI: Most Wanted,” “The Jack and Triumph Show,” “The Good Wife.” Select Film: Not Fade Away, The Wolf of Wall Street, All is Bright, Bastards of Young, Thinking with Richard. MFA: Rutgers University.
About TheaterWorks Hartford:
Celebrating its 39th season, TheaterWorks Hartford (TWH) produces high quality, contemporary theater and is committed to the power of storytelling in creating community. Founded in 1985, TWH has produced nearly 200 plays and presents approximately 150 performances per season. TWH also owns and manages the historic property at 233 Pearl Street. For updates on TheaterWorks Hartford, visit twhartford.org. Follow on Instagram, Facebook, or Youtube.
About Round House Theatre:Dubbed the “current meteor in DC theatre” by Peter Marks of The Washington Post, Round House Theatre is one of the “Big Six” professional theaters in the Washington, DC area. Round House is a theater for everyone. They enrich their community through bold, outstanding theatrical and educational experiences that inspire empathy and demand conversation. Learn more on their website.
About Barrington Stage Co.:Barrington Stage Company (BSC) is a not-for-profit professional theatre company in the Berkshires (MA) with a three-fold mission: to produce top-notch, compelling work; to develop new plays and musicals; and to engage community with vibrant, inclusive educational outreach programs. Barrington Stage creates theatre experiences that engage and excite audiences by entertaining as well as challenging them with the most dynamic and provocative productions possible. BSC creates a platform for new voices and diverse perspectives that drives all of their work: productions, educational programming and community engagement. Learn more on their website.
The 24/25 Season Continues:PRIMARY TRUST is a touching and inventive story about new beginnings, old friends, and seeing the world for the first time. Meet Kenneth, a 38-year old bookstore worker who spends his evenings siping mai tais at the local tiki bar. When he’s suddenly laid off, Kenneth finally begins to face a world he’s long avoided – with transformative and even comical results. The 2024 Pulitzer Prize winner by Eboni Booth is a touching and inventive tale of lost dreams, new beginnings, and old friends that “restores your faith in theater’s storytelling powers,” (NY Observer). PRIMARY TRUST will run April 10 – May 11, 2025. The season will close with YOUR NAME MEANS DREAM which runs June 3 – July 6, 2025. We’re in the not too distant future. Aislin is old, and isolated, in her messy New York City walk-up. She pines for a simpler, analog past, when her son sends a sensational new caretaker who is not quite human…but she’s getting there. The newest work from Academy Award-nominee José Rivera (The Motorcycle Diaries, A Hundred Years of Solitude on Netflix) is an intimate look in the digital age.
Funding Credits:
TheaterWorks Hartford is supported by CT Office of the Arts, Richard P. Garmany Fund, Travelers, Marjorie E. Morrissey, The Shubert Foundation, Burry Fredrik Foundation, Greater Hartford Arts Council, Bank of America, Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, HSB, RTX, Lincoln Financial Foundation, J. Walton Bissell Foundation, John and Kelly Hartman Foundation, CT Humanities, Gawlicki Family Foundation, Nassau, Liberty Bank, Ensworth Charitable Foundation, George A. and Grace L. Long Foundation, William and Alice Mortensen Foundation, The Elizabeth M. Landon and Harriette M. Landon Charitable Trust, The Katherine K. McLane and Henry R. McLane Charitable Trust, M&T Bank.
King James Producing Partners
DINA PLAPLER AND EARL MCMAHONETCH
Season Partners
RICHARD P. GARMANY FUND at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving
MARJORIE E. MORRISSEY
BURRY FREDRIK FOUNDATION
BANK OF AMERICA