By Benjamin Joe

When the lights dim and the sound switches to a muted crowd at the basketball game, the
appeal of “King James” is at its peak. A story about vulnerability in Cleveland, the play tracks
two men’s friendship through the highlights of LeBron James’s career from rookie year to
Cavalier championship.

The piece is crafted by playwright Rajiv Joseph and brought to life by director Thembi Duncan at
the Kavinoky Theatre. Buffalo audiences might remember Joseph’s “Guards at the Taj” from its
2022 production at Road Less Traveled Productions. This show – another two-man story –
enjoys the same tight dialogue with underlying themes to enchant the imagination.

We meet Matt, played by Brendan Didio, and Shawn, played by Jake Hayes, two young men
struggling to make meaning out of Cleveland, creating lives among broken landscapes and
vacant buildings. Matt, the son of entrepreneurs, looks to the future, taking risks. Shawn is
trying the make it as a writer, cobbling a future out of feelings.

The juxtaposition of the characters’ backgrounds makes for interesting contrasts as the two
become friends, trading jokes as they bond over basketball.

Their clever banter transitions to awed quiet as Matt and Shawn sit side-by-side, sharing
hotdogs and almost whispering as they stare outward, rapt with attention for the basketball
action in front of them. Seeing what those moments mean throughout the two men’s
friendship – bound by fandom to the Cleveland Cavaliers – makes the play more than just
sports talk.

Didio and Hayes manage, in small ways — the tremble of a lip, the drop in a decibel — to show
the strength and fragility of their relationship. The years pass quickly as Shawn and Matt grow
up and their fortunes change.

What is this play? It’s touching, but sometimes rough. Notes of sincere silence alternate with
the roar of injured egos. By the time LeBron has his ring, we’re left to wonder if we’ve ever had
such a friend as Matt and Shawn.

If the real King James ever needs a scribe to explain what his career has wrought, “King James”
the play deserves a read-through. The reach of a hero can extend far beyond the court.

“King James,” written by Rajiv Joseph, continues through Nov. 24 at D’Youville Kavinoky Theatre,
320 Porter Ave. Performances are 7:30 pm. Thursdays and Fridays, 3:30 p.m. Saturdays, and 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $49 for adults, $44 for seniors and $35 for active military and
veterans.