Tom Ragan and Jamey Grayson Photo by Broken Chain Photography

Set in Cleveland, where Mr. Joseph grew up, the play follows two locals who develop a friendship that endures from 2004 to 2016 and maybe longer. They meet in 2004, LeBron's rookie year playing for the Cavaliers. Recruited straight out of a high school in nearby Akron, LeBron's the hottest thing to hit Cleveland since the Cuyahoga River caught fire. Tickets for Cavs games are going at a premium.

Matt, chronically short of money, has two season tickets he wants to sell. Shawn wants to buy them but doesn't have enough money to pay the asking price. During the haggling over what Matt will accept, we learn quite a bit about both characters, their socioeconomic situations, and their families.

Years pass, and we see them again in 2010 when LeBron announces that he is transferring to the Miami Heat, which is a crushing blow to Cleveland's civic pride. Then again in 2014 when LeBron transfers back to the Cavaliers. And finally in 2016, when the Cavs win their first national championship in 50 years. No mention is made of the fact that LeBron leaves again for Los Angeles, where he is playing to this day.

If this were just a play about two buds who love the Cavaliers, it wouldn't be much of a play. Entertainingly chatty, but trivial. What gives it its salience is that it is also about racism, submerged though it may try to be. You see, Matt is white, Shawn is Black. Although they are each other's best friend, they cannot completely escape the racial attitudes inherent in American society, culminating in a very well written confrontational scene about LeBron "not knowing his place."

Also, at least in my opinion, it is about "the love that dare not speak its name." Matt and Shawn are best friends by default. They seem to have no other friends and are failures at every other relationship. The only person who is always there for them is each other. I will leave it up to you if you think that one of them is truly in love with the other but never can bring himself to articulate it. The ending of the play seems like a cop out, but I'm pretty sure it's inconclusive on purpose. This play is deeper than its surface might suggest.

The Vortex Theatre production has a very well designed set by Stephanie Grilo that accommodates scenes set in a bar and in Matt's parents' junk shop. The props by Christy Lopez in both locations are just right, especially the junk. Lighting by Riley Lewis is also very well done. I'm not sure who gets credit for the videos of LeBron in action projected onto the floor of the set, but it's a great touch, and the sound design by Stephanie Grilo is perfect.

Stephanie Grilo, multi-talented as you can see, also directed the show, eliciting good pacing and good performances. This production is double-cast: Matt and Shawn are played in some performances by Tom Ragan and Jamey Grayson; in the other cast, they are played by Jay Hobson and Marcus Ivey. I saw Tom Ragan and Jamey Grayson, both of whom are new-to-me actors. They both did fine work, keeping the dialogue flowing. Their acting is natural, which is exactly what these roles require.

I liked this play more than I thought I would since I'm not a basketball aficionado. If you are not a big fan of professional sports, don't let that stop you from seeing this show. It's well written, well directed, and well acted, and although it is often funny, it will leave you with some things to think about.

King James runs through March 9, 2025, at The Vortex Theatre, 2900 Carlisle Blvd NE, Albuquerque NM. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30, Sundays at 2:00. Tickets are $19 to $24. For tickets and information, please visit vortexabq.org.