by Barbara Waldinger
From the moment we notice the set (designed by Luke Cantarella) of Rajiv Joseph’s KING JAMES at Barrington Stage Company’s St. Germain Stage, it is clear that we are in the presence of a well-oiled production that has had the time to mature and grow. And this is only the first of two complete, meticulously detailed sets (thanks to a revolving stage) that we are about to see.
Joseph, a multiple prize-winning playwright, was co-commissioned by two theatres to write this play: Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre Company and L. A.’s Center Theatre Group, receiving its World Premiere in 2022 at both theatres (the L.A. venue was the Mark Taper Forum). It went on to have performances in New York City and throughout the country, including the Cleveland Playhouse in 2025 (co-produced with City Theatre Company in Pittsburgh), the city where KING JAMES takes place.
Not to be outdone by all of these co-productions, Barrington Stage Company has co-produced this Regional Premiere with TheaterWorks Hartford in Connecticut (winter, 2025) and Round House Theatre in Maryland (spring, 2025). Not only did the supremely talented Rob Ruggiero direct all three productions, but one of the actors (Gregory Perri), as well as the entire set, traveled to all three theatres.
Joseph’s script is about a couple of young male fans from Cleveland Heights, Ohio—Shawn (Blake Morris, who also played this role at the Round House Theater), and Matt (Perri)–whose twelve-year friendship is based on their love/hate relationship with LeBron James, nicknamed “King James,” one of the greatest basketball players of all time. The play begins in 2004, James’s Rookie year with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The two fans meet for the first time at the wine bar where Matt works: he needs cash and is forced to sell his precious season tickets, which Shawn wants to buy– if the price is right. We follow the adventures of Shawn and Matt in four scenes (“four quarters”), through James’s departure from the Cavaliers to join the Miami Heat, and eventually to his return (the reactions of Morris and Perri to both events are worth the ticket price).
You may wonder: this play is a slam dunk for sports fans, but will it appeal to other audiences? Is there enough substance here, when we are looking for answers at this time of fear and uncertainty, to entice us into the theatre? The answer from this critic, not at all a sports enthusiast, is a resounding yes. Here’s why: the writing is so real that the dialogue between the two guys seems to mirror everyday conversations (indeed there is a warning at the box office about the use of profanity in the production), but is also quite skillful in portraying male bonding over time, as the vicissitudes of life change the status of each of them, and test the endurance of their friendship. Intertwining basketball and personal development while giving us the exposition we need to learn what has happened between scenes, the playwright maintains both the humor of the piece and its poignancy. The direction and performances can be breathtaking, as these consummate actors literally throw themselves into their characters. Add to that those astonishing sets and the contributions of the whole design team.
The well-stocked wine bar (La Cave du Vin) in the first two scenes includes stained glass windows lit by designer John Lasiter like a cathedral, which may have been the bar’s first incarnation. The second half of the play takes place in Armand’s, Matt’s parents’ Upholstery and Used Furniture Store, described as a “weird place” filled with all sorts of oddities and “tchotchkes.” The place is named for Armand, a “taxidermied Armadillo,” who sits on an antique desk at the center. One of the other main features is a globe that spins, opening to become a bar. What fun it must have been to gather all this paraphernalia together—and how difficult to transport it all from theatre to theatre!
Between the scenes, sound designer Kevin L. Alexander brings in loud, thumping rock music. As an example of the specificity of the production, Alexander provides a revealing touch at the opening of the play, when Matt is about to close the bar: the elevator- type music for the patrons suddenly stops, like a needle dragged across a record, to reveal, not a power failure but a switch to Matt’s rock music, played when he’s alone, mopping up. Of course that’s what workers would do when no one is around.
Further, any time a prop can be rolled into a ball, there’s an excuse for Matt to take a shot at, hopefully into, the nearest wastebasket, along with his play by play comments.
Danielle Preston’s costumes are indicative of the changing economic status of each character, including the all-important basketball jersey. Projections on the left and right upstage wall of each set prove to be extremely helpful in letting us know what year it is and how much time has passed since the scene before. How often audiences have wished for this type of clarification when plays go backward and/or forward in time, as so many currently do.
Shawn is an educated loner from a black family with a sick Mom and few friends, who dreams of becoming a writer. The sale of an autobiographical short story provides him with the money to buy Matt’s tickets (a pair for each game) but he has nobody to go with. Joseph doesn’t give us as much background for Shawn as he does for Matt, but we do know that while Matt is a kind of loser Shawn is capable of achieving many of his goals. So what attracts him to Matt? Morris is at his most vulnerable in attempting to hold onto their friendship: he’s almost embarrassed to admit to Matt that he has formed a relationship with Matt’s parents; he has achieved some success at TV writing, but he’s not happy in that environment, far from home. What does success mean without a friend to share it?
Matt, playing a college dropout from a white family, who can’t seem to succeed at anything he attempts (including relationships with women), blames his parents whom he accuses of taking “a perverse delight out of watching me fail,” despite all they’ve done to bail him out. He’s got a huge chip on his shoulder, having failed to become someone his parents can admire. Honing his characterization since the beginning of this year, Perri has had the time to explore every aspect of Matt. He offers us a quirky, prickly, easily angered soul, who is also desperate for a friend, though it is difficult for him to express that need. His Matt constantly complains about what is wrong with America, hiding the inner struggles he faces behind a tough guy exterior. Perri’s reaction to the King’s return is outrageous and funny, as he vents his pent-up anger, glad to aim it at someone other than himself.
When a play is given the advantage of having three productions nearly in a row, which is a tremendous gift to all the artists involved, the Berkshire audience should embrace its good fortune at the arrival of KING JAMES here on its doorstep.
KING JAMES runs from August 12-31 at Barrington Stage Company’s St. Germain Stage, 36 Linden St. Pittsfield. For tickets call 413-236-8888 or online at barringtonstageco.org
Barrington Stage Company, in partnership with Round House Theatre & TheaterWorks Hartford, presents KING JAMES by Rajiv Joseph. Director: Rob Ruggiero. Cast: Blake Morris (Shawn), Gregory Perri (Matt). Scenic Design: Luke Cantarella; Costume Design: Danielle Preston; Lighting Design: John Lasiter; Sound Design: Kevin L. Alexander. Production Stage Manager: Jason Brouillard.
The performance runs two hours, including intermission.