On The Scene: NBA meets theater in off-Broadway play ‘King James’
Two basketball fans in Cleveland, where LeBron James started his NBA career, forge a close friendship over their mutual admiration for the basketball icon.
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May 3, 2023, 10:50 AM
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Updated 564 days ago
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429ds agoTheater meets the NBA, specifically LeBron James, in a new play. The Lakers star doesn't appear in the play, but he is at the center of the plot.
Two basketball fans in Cleveland, where LeBron started his NBA career, forge a close friendship over their mutual admiration for the basketball icon. “King James” stars Glenn Davis and Chris Perfetti of the TV series “Abbott Elementary.”
“Anything that is kind of outside my comfort zone, outside my knowledge base is alluring. I feel like most actors would say that as well, but really it was the play,” Perfetti said.
The two characters, Matt and Shawn, meet over the sale of season tickets. It begins a yearslong friendship with ups and downs, bonding and betrayal that seems to mirror James' career. Davis says the play is about the evolution of a friendship that goes far beyond a shared interest.
"I call it a platonic love story between these two guys around their association with basketball and more specifically their affinity for LeBron James," Davis said.
"King James" was previously performed in Chicago and Los Angeles. Now the Manhattan Theatre Club brings the off-Broadway production to New York City Center where the drama of being a fan is center stage.
"King James" is scheduled to run through June 18.
Watch more interviews with the creative team below:
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