Review: At GableStage, ‘King James’ Reigns In Endearing Buddy Story

At left, Shawn (Melvin Huffnagle) and Matt (Gregg Weiner) form a friendship over their love of basketball and LeBron James in “King James” at GableStage, Coral Gables, through Sunday, Nov. 24. (Photo courtesy of Magnus Stark)

You know you’re in for a treat when three-time NBA champion and Miami Heat’s all-time leading rebounder Udonis Haslem does the opening speech to welcome the audience to GableStage via video for its latest production of “King James.” It sets the stage for the two-person play by Pulitzer-prize nominated Rajiv Joseph about a pair of Cleveland Cavaliers fans who form a bond over their love of basketball and their love-hate obsession with NBA star and basketball icon LeBron James, the King in “King James.”

However, knowing basketball or sports isn’t a requisite to enjoy this wonderfully emotive buddy-bonding play. Most everyone can relate to being fixated on a celebrity. Joseph uses the sport as a frame on which he creates a relationship story that takes place using highlights of James’ career as the scaffolding. In a creative twist, Joseph breaks his play into quarters like a basketball game.

Gregg Weiner as Matt and Melvin Huffnagle as Shawn at a Cleveland wine bar in a scene from GableStage’s “King James.” (Photo courtesy of Magnus Stark)

The first quarter is February 2004; James is named NBA’s Rookie of the Year.

The second quarter is 2010, when the now established veteran leaves the Cavs landing a devastating blow to fans to join the Miami Heat, then 2014, when the star player makes a return and in 2016 with the team’s first championship win in more than 50 years.

As we relive James’ milestones so are there highlights and lowlights in the two characters’ lives.

The bro-ship between Matt (Gregg Weiner) and Shawn (Melvin Huffnagle) begins when Shawn shows up interested in buying Matt’s season tickets to Cavs games: Section C-126 midcourt.

“They were my dad’s. He’s had them since I was six. We went to basically every game together. They’re mine now,” Matt tells Shawn.

Shawn has arrived at the east side Cleveland wine bar La Cave du Vin, where Matt’s working. He’s just finished a solo game of trashcan b-ball and he’s got the television tuned to, what else? A basketball game.

Melvin Huffnagle as Shawn in GableStage’s production of Rajiv Joseph’s “King James” about two buddies who bond over LeBron James. (Photo courtesy of Magnus Stark)

The price Matt wants for the season is too steep, which leads to a conversation on why Shawn wants to buy the tickets in the first place. He’s sold his first short story, which fascinates Matt, but not enough for him to, at first, relinquish his tickets for a much lesser price than his original $6,500.

They eventually come to an agreement, but before that happens the two find a common ground in name-dropping players and a word scuffle over the rookie – we see a foreshadow how these two will meet in the middle but sometimes can be as far apart as two people can be. Will James ever be as good as the legendary Michael Jordan?

“LeBron has already eclipsed Jordan,” posits Matt. “He’s a rookie, what are you talking about?,” counters Shawn.

The strength of the play lies in Joseph’s dialogue, which is realistic, punchy, emotional and so believably delivered by Weiner and Huffnagle, who almost lend shades of Felix and Oscar in “The Odd Couple.” Weiner as the scrappy Matt and Huffnagle as the loner Shawn bring out the best and the worst in each other.

At one point, the issue of race bubbles up as Matt makes the statement that James shouldn’t have left Cleveland because he should “have known his place.” Shawn, who is Black, believes he’s seen a side of his once newfound friend that hasn’t come to the surface. But Joseph merely creates this as a growth point for the two pals not fixating on race. Overall, the play is energetic, enjoyable, and a nice way to escape a divisive world.

In Act Two of “King James” Matt (Gregg Weiner) and Shawn (Melvin Huffnagle) inside the bric-a-brac shop in Armand’s. (Photo courtesy of Magnus Stark)

The second half of the play is stronger than the first as Joseph spends most of the beginning establishing the characters. Now that we know them in the second act, he brings us into the world of their dreams: Matt who wants to own a successful sports bar, and does, for a while anyway, and Shawn who leaves for Hollywood where he gets a writing job on a television show, but finds out that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side of the country. Weiner and Huffnagle move through the emotional rollercoasters separately and together with a bond that’s believable to the core and are invested in the lives and outcomes of these characters bringing the audience along with them on the journey.

Director Ruben Carrazana, originally from Miami, who is now working in Chicago, provides the dialogue-heavy play with plenty of action. He moves the characters around the space and the pace, while not hurried, glides along with the momentum of a nail-biter of a game.

In its four quarters, “King James” has two sets – first the wine bar, which in dialogue, Matt says was a former church; Shawn remembers it as a Baskin Robbins. The second act is set in the bric-a-brac shop, filled in every crevice and corner with something, owned by Matt’s parents called Armand’s — a stuffed armadillo as the mascot.

At left, Matt (Gregg Weiner) and Shawn (Melvin Huffnagle) raise a glass to Matt’s new business in “King James” at GableStage through Nov. 24. (Photo courtesy of Magnus Stark)

Frank J. Oliva’s scenic design captures the essence of both locations. A large shot clock above the stage demands attention counting down to the time the next scene begins. Marcela Paguaga and Emily K. Perdomo get dual credit as set dressers and properties designers, adding plenty to look at, especially in Armand’s with a store stuffed with everything from an antique adding machine to a large globe that opens into a bar service area. And, of course, the stuffed Armand. A set change in the second act is seamless with its inventiveness, too, as two stagehands in Cavs and Heat jerseys quickly shuttle pieces off the stage to create the next segment and set the stage for a move forward in time.

Lorena Lopez’s costume designs follow the two men’s careers from Matt’s bartender look to bar owner – cool sunglasses to boot, and lively bowling-styled shirts as they both staff Armand’s, which add to the comedic tone. No surprise that the guys have more than a few pairs of basketball shoes to wear throughout the play.

LeBron doesn’t appear as a character but he comes to life in brilliant projection designs by Steven Covey from different phases of the NBA star’s career. Much of the game-day video captures a sports fan’s excitement. Sean McGinley’s sound design serves the atmosphere, from realistic street sounds outside the bar to the basketball buzzer that sounds as each scene begins. Tony Galaska’s lighting design reinforces each setting, from the cool shades of the wine bar to the other choices throughout that serve the emotional world of the two friends.

In “King James,” two newfound friends with a love of basketball share the ups and downs of life. (Photo courtesy of Magnus Stark)

While LeBron may make scoring a three pointer look easy, what goes into it is hard work. The same can be said for GableStage’s production: the talented actors who carry the show, the director’s deep understanding of Joseph’s play, and the brilliantly precise production aspects.

GableStage’s “King James” shoots and scores.

WHAT: “King James” by Rajiv Joseph 

WHERE: GableStage in the Biltmore Hotel, 1200 Anastasia Ave., Coral Gables 

WHEN: 2 and 7:30 p.m., Wednesday; 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday through Sunday, Nov. 24.

COST: $40, $45, $50, $55, $65, $75, all with additional $10 service fee (discounts for students, teachers, artists, military and groups). Special event: Talkback following Sunday, Nov. 24 matinee with Pauline Winick, the Miami Heat’s first executive vice president, on what it took to create Miami’s legendary team.

INFORMATION: 305-445-1119 or gablestage.org

ArtburstMiami.com is a nonprofit media source for the arts featuring fresh and original stories by writers dedicated to theater, dance, visual arts, film, music and more. Don’t miss a story at www.artburstmiami.com.