AND1: A King James Review

Gregory Perri and George Anthony Richardson in King James at Theaterworks Hartford Photo by Mike Marques.

TheaterWorks Hartford’s production of King James, a comedy by Rajiv Joseph, directed by Rob Ruggiero, explores themes of love and grief as time takes its toll. Matt and Shawn, two Cleveland Cavalier fans meet over the sale of a set of season passes in 2004—a moment that forges a lifetime of friendship. This production takes the surface of sports fandom and excavates all that life stores behind it.

Matt (Gregory Perri) works at La Cave du Vin, a wine bar in Cleveland, Ohio, in protest of working at his parents’ reupholstery store. Shawn (George Anthony Richardson) is a temp at a law firm and a writer, among other things. Matt has a pack of tickets to the Cavs 2004 season that he needs to offload for financial reasons and Shawn is in search of tickets to a Cavs game in an effort to keep a promise he made to his young self. With the two of them in places of desperation, the pair find common ground to stand on, and a bond forms. The show takes us through the ebbs and flows of Matt and Shawn’s friendship, adjacent to the shifting of LeBron’s career from the Cavs to the Heat and back. 

The composition of the relationship that develops between Matt and Shawn is emphasized by the palpable awkwardness that exists in their first encounter. There are noticeable differences between them as they struggle to come to terms with the tickets, the experience of the game, and everything in between. Richardson serves the perspective of a fan well with his devoted, yet abbreviated experience of the in-person rush of the live games. His characterization of Shawn’s curiosity for the game, for life, and his place in it is notable. Perri’s depiction of Matt’s emotional turbulence is a more full-framed fanatic with a crass punch of comedic relief that never falls short. The pair work wondrously together in the telling of this tale that many sports lovers can see themselves in. 

The lighting and sound designs of John Lasiter and Kevin L. Alexander help to bring both the scoreboard and time jump themes to life. Luke Cantarella’s double-sided set design is a beautiful wine bar with unorthodox stained glass windows and bottles of vino baked into the wall panel, layering the vibe like sins and forgiveness. The flip side is Matt’s parents’ upholstery store, an altogether different feel with the miscellaneous trinkets neatly tucked away in incongruous places. The duality of the set—a coin toss that speaks to the heads and tails of Matt’s life, his friendship with Shawn, and his own career efforts.

The production is sprinkled with timestamps of the years gone, coating layers of sentimentality not just for the history of the team or the game, but also for the shared elements of society’s progress. From the progression of cell phones, text messages, and social media to the hope of previous political administrations, there’s a story in it for everyone.    

From the fandom to the players, it’s more than just a game—Joseph reminds us that there’s value in anything that helps make meaning of our lives and brings us together. King James runs through March 2nd. For tickets, visit https://twhartford.org/