King James

At once hilarious and deeply heartfelt, King James explores the complex bond between two friends brought together, and sometimes pulled apart, by their shared love of basketball legend LeBron James. Set against the backdrop of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ championship rise and fall, the play isn’t just about sports; it’s about identity, loyalty, class, race, and the enduring power of fandom.

About the Artists:

King James was written by Rajiv Joseph, the award-winning author of Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo (finalist for the 2010 Pulitzer Prize). Joseph fills this moving story with his signature wit and insight.

The LFT Production is Directed by Akin Omotoso, an internationally renowned filmmaker, actor and director known for his visually rich storytelling and human-centered narratives. His feature film ”Vaya” premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and earned him a Best Director award at the Africa Movie Academy Awards and was distributed by Ava DuVernay's company ARRAY. He directed the Giannis Antetokounmpo biopic ”Rise” for Disney+. His current TV Series as Showrunner and Co-Creator is ”Marked” on Netflix. Omotoso brings a distinctive cross-cultural perspective to King James, marking his highly anticipated U.S. stage directorial debut.

The production stars Nathaniel Weiss (Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, and as Tybalt in Romeo & Juliet with Shakespeare by the Sea; graduate of Harvard University and the American Repertory Theatre Institute) and Mark Antony Howard (Artist-in-Residence at Wallis Annenberg Performing Arts Center; Ain’t Misbehavin’ dir. Ken Page).