King James combines sports and theater at Syracuse Stage
‘King James’ combines sports and theater at Syracuse Stage
The Jamil Jude-directed production delves into friendship and fanaticism born out of LeBron James’ iconic career.
Enoch King remembers sitting on his brother’s couch in Atlanta, Georgia, watching Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals between the 73-9 Golden State Warriors and the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers. As a dedicated fan of James, King was so nervous that he had to turn off the TV for various stretches of the game.
But King turned the television back on just in time to see James pull off his iconic chase-down block of Andre Iguodala with 1:51 left on the game clock. While Kyrie Irving’s 3-pointer a minute later sealed Cleveland’s first championship in half a century, James’ block served as the ultimate drama for King.
“It was game seven in Oracle [Arena], that’s theater, right?” King said. “That is literally a play or literally a movie. It is built up to that moment when you go, ‘Wait, so they have this opportunity. There is no way they are going to beat these guys.’’’
King and his co-star Quinn Johnson both bring their basketball fandom and respect for James, one of the most accomplished athletes in history, to the Rajiv Joseph play King James, opening at Syracuse Stage today. The play follows James’ impact and influence on two Cleveland superfans, Matt (Johnson) and Shawn (King).
The relationship between the two characters hits highs and lows. It’s similar and almost reflects James’ career when he first became an idol and sensation in Cleveland. Then he became a villain in his move to Miami, and then a hero again when he moved back to his hometown team. The play also examines how James’ career relates to the obsessive fans becoming toxic. King James features talk of burning James’ jersey after he departs from Cleveland. King said he wanted to find the balance between fan and fanatic.
“You approach it with honesty,” King said. “There are things that we enjoy. There are things that we love. And then there are things that we are very adamant about, sure. And so it’s just recognizing the differences. We kind of lose ourselves sometimes.”
Johnson and King, who both worked with the director Jamil Jude, had a chance to read the script and immediately found the friendship between the two characters the most engaging aspect. Johnson, who saw King James on Off-Broadway, felt entranced by the basic details he knew about the story.
“Even just at a preliminary (level), I was like, “OK, Joseph. He’s writing about a racial relationship, but also a friendship,” Johnson said. “It’s going to be good.”
The latest version of Joseph’s play at Syracuse Stage once again serves as a culmination of the work between the actors and director. Both Johnson and King worked with Jude in their careers and worked with him on King James in Indiana.
Johnson said Jude was very clear on how he was going to need an additional understanding of basketball. Johnson took that advice and read a James biography, learning of teammates like Zydrunas Ilgauskas. King said Jude has a great understanding of actors and does not lose the gravity of moments.
Jude stated in the press notes that sports is the closest thing people can get to the pathos of live theater. King sees that theater and sports can both tell a story, much like King James and the 2016 NBA Finals.
“The story is being told,” King said. “With theater and with sports.”
is a contributor for The NewsHouse.