Alberta Theatre Projects continues their winning season with a sharp, funny, and engaging co-production with Theatre Aquarius of King James by Rajiv Joseph. Smartly directed by Haysam Kadri and starring the talented Michael Blake as Shawn and Devin Mackinnon as Matt the play focuses on the friendship between two men who bond over their love of basketball, superstar athlete LeBron James, and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Adding to this entertaining production is Multi-Disciplinary artist and DJ Diana Reyes, better known as Fly Lady Di, whose sound mix uses original sports clips and soundbites of LeBron James to bridge scenes and add a feeling of a live sporting event to the evening.
The story of the play unfolds over the course of twelve years and begins in 2004 when LeBron James is the number one draft pick in the NBA, and he plays his rookie season as a Cavalier. Matt, who is a true fan, has had seasons tickets to the Cavaliers since he was six years of age. His fondest memories of childhood are going to the games with his father. Unfortunately, he’s now run into some financial difficulties and he’s trying to sell his father’s remaining season tickets to raise some money so he can pay off some debts he’s accumulated through a failed business venture.
Enter Shawn an equally dedicated Cavalier fan whose childhood also revolved around his love for the Cavaliers, but his family never had the money to afford tickets to a game. Now having had an unexpected bit of good fortune he wants to fulfill his lifelong dream of going to the games and cheering on his team. A mutual acquaintance brings Matt and Shawn together and there’s an immediate bond between the two as they start to share their views and opinions about LeBron and the Cavaliers and what an impact the team had on them as they grew up in Cleveland.
There’s a friendly and teasing banter between the two right from the very start as they haggle about the price of the tickets, and they get to know each other. Of course, there’s no big secret about where this is heading. Matt has tickets. Shawn wants tickets. There are two tickets for each game. That could only mean one thing – this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
If you’re a sports fan, then you know that following your team through the seasons year after year as they battle their way to the championship is a journey filled with euphoric moments of victory and crushing moments of defeat. It’s also a lot of fun to share that journey with fellow fans and in particular with friends who share your passion for the game. The good news is you don’t have to be a sports fan to enjoy King James. Sports acts as a backdrop with the career of LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers providing the historical context of the play.
Playwright Rajiv Joseph when talking about the play said, “In this country, at least, there’s sometimes this notion that some men are only able to express their emotions when they’re talking about sports, and I think that’s what this play is about. It’s about these two individuals – these two young men – who are friends, who have a hard time actually telling each other what’s on their mind, and their only entry point into that sort of deeper emotional exchange is through talking about sports – talking about LeBron – talking about Michael Jordan.”
In addition to an outstanding and talented cast director Haysam Kadri has assembled a first-rate design team composed of set and costume designer Brian Dudkiewicz, lighting designer Louise Guinand, and sound designer Maddie Bautista.
The play takes place in two locations. In act one we find ourselves in La Cave du Vin, a wine bar on the east side of Cleveland where Matt works as a bartender. The bar is partially underground was formally a church and features stained glass windows to bring natural light into the place.
In act two the action shifts to Armand’s Upholstery and Used Furniture Store. It’s one of those old curiosity shops filled with everything from stuffed Armadillos to one of those large globe bars that you can open up and store bottles of whisky in.
Armand’s is the family business where Matt’s parents earned a living and funny enough while Matt tends to take it for granted and not think of it as being anything particularly special Shawn loves the place.
It’s the real and heartfelt performances of Michael Blake as Shawn and Devin Mackinnon as Matt that makes the play such fun to watch because we can see these two guys being friends. They click. They find in each other someone to share the journey. And they do such a convincing job of being friends that when Matt and Shawn’s friendships runs into a crisis, we feel upset.
Why? Because nobody likes to see their friends fight. Come on guys. Grow up. All we want is for Matt and Shawn to think big picture and not get caught up in saying and doing hurtful things that they’ll end up regretting later. But rest assured while there are certainly a few dramatic turns and twists in the play much of the story is filled with good humour and big laughs and a satisfying and hopeful ending.
King James is a play about friendship. How it begins. How it flourishes. How it can go sideways. And how it can be restored and renewed. As an audience what we’re really experiencing is an emotional journey for two people with a fondness for the game and a love for each other that they find difficult to express.
The play ends when Shawn and Matt are still relatively young. They’re only 33 years of age. The stories not over. I want to know what happens to these characters as they get older and enter middle age. I want to hang out with these two and listen in on their conversations about sports and life and learn about their dreams and hopes and disappointments. I want to know what kind of a person Shawn is at 40 or Matt is at 60 and most of all I want to follow them on their journey because I would love to think that these two share a lifelong friendship that makes both of their lives richer and more rewarding.
This third play in the 50th Anniversary Season of Alberta Theatre Projects is a sure-fire crowd pleaser that family and friends will enjoy and offers audiences a touching and humourous exploration of friendships that celebrates the unifying power of sports. King James by Rajiv Joseph runs at Alberta Theatre Projects until March 16th. Tickets are available online at www.atplive.com or by calling the box office at 403.294.7475.
