Caleb Foote as Matt and Joshua Echebiri as Shawn in King James, 2024. Photo by Rich Soublet II.
By Sandi Masori
Sandi Masori
SAN DIEGO — When you see the title of the newest production at The Old Globe, King James, you might first think that it’s about one of England’s monarchs. Or perhaps, seeing the basketball in the logo, you might think it’s a biography of LeBron James, known as King James.
You would be partially right in the latter case. Using the sounds of James’ stellar career as background, going from his 2003 rookie season through winning the 2016 championship, the play explores the bonds of friendship between two very different men.
Director Justin Emeka uses a clever device to show the passing of the years. He has Matt (Caleb Foote) and Shawn (Joshua Echebiri) change phones to stay up with the times, from an old flip phone through a modern smart phone, we walk the path of memory lane. Their shoes also change to show the passage of time and their changing stations in life.
The story starts with Matt and Shawn meeting when Matt tries to sell his season passes to the Cleveland Cavaliers for LeBron James’ rookie season. Shawn comes to buy them and the young men strike up an interracial friendship over their shared love of the game.
Over the years, punctuated by James’ moves from one team to another, we see the twists and turns of their lives and friendship. The dialogue is fast-paced and funny, both because of Rajiv Joseph’s writing and the animated faces of Foote and Echebiri. San Diegans can especially appreciate how upset and betrayed Matt and Shawn feel when James moves to the Miami Heat and leaves his hometown. I saw many in the audience nodding emphatically as Matt and Shawn lament the perceived betrayal, as memories of our own Chargers’ betrayal with their move to LA still feels fresh.
Another scene that really stands out is when Shawn, now working at Matt’s parents’ second-hand store, has a warm phone conversation with Matt’s mom as he has become part of Matt’s family. Matt is a little jealous that his mom shares more with Matt than with him. In my family we also have a member who started as my good friend and was adopted into the whole family, and who to this day will drop in on my parents just to check in on them and chat. And like Matt, there have been times when, truth be told, I’ve been a little envious of their relationship.
Both Foote and Echebiri do a phenomenal job embodying their characters.
While sports is the background as a metaphor for the ups and downs of friendship between Matt and Shawn, the play also touches on family and race, though more could be done with race.
The show is in the theater-in-the-round, which is always challenging to stage, as nothing can be too tall, and care has to be taken for the blocking to move around so everyone has a good view. The sets use more pieces of furniture and props than usual in such a setting, so in some cases moving pieces between scenes took a little longer than usual. Using key pieces, and drop downs from the ceiling, scenic designer Lawrence E Moten III managed to create two distinct sets, that of the wine bar where Matt works, and Armand’s, which is the name of Matt’s parents’ second-hand store.
This story of friendship could be between any two guys of any race or religion. Tchotchkes (Knick knacks) were mentioned at some point though, so there was a bissel representation of Jewish culture..
Director Emeka says in the program that he hopes the audience will walk away “appreciating their own relationships more, maybe thinking about an old friend and perhaps reach out to somebody they may have gone their separate ways from.”
King James plays at The Old Globe through March 31.
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Sandi Masori is a theater and restaurant reviewer for San Diego Jewish World.
