Before we go any further, no, you’re not crazy. There is no King James Shakespeare play. Rajiv Joseph’s very recent 2022 play is decidedly not Elizabethan and contains far more garbage can basketball than Hamlet. The only thing I love more than Richmond Shakespeare’s phenomenal run of Shakespearean productions is when they go on a tonal limb and deliver a surprise imbued with sensitivity and humanity like this one. Rick St. Peter directs a whispered truth on the Theatre Gym stage that I was thankfully awake enough to hear.
King James is a humble production. Two actors, two sets, less than 2 hours running time. The themes it traverses, however, are for the big-hearted, vulnerable, and the lonely.
It’s for those that can read between the machismo of sports fandom and see the wounded boys our society grinds out like so much sausage. The play explores, at its most ontologically basic level, the keening need for inclusion, acceptance, and love within non-sexual male relationships.
Photo by Dave Parrish. More information HERE
Rajiv Joseph’s delicate approach to the phenomenon of tribalism as a pretext for affection in modern male society is inspired. Two young men with enough in common to bond over nearly anything else in their experience choose the construct of basketball (specifically their shared hometown team (and the titular star player – King James AKA Lebron James) to justify their connection. Both have formative joys and disappointments surrounding their team, bound to their relationships with their fathers. “Fathers and Sons” is probably the oldest theme in literature, yet rarely explored as a platform for a look into paternal loss supplanted by fraternal refuge. At least not as well as Mr. Joseph does it anyway.
Shawn and Matt are played by Joshua Carter and Joshua Mullins respectively. Shawn is African-American. Matt is of European descent. Only briefly is this an issue in the script, and it is heartbreaking when it is. In their exchange on the subject, it occurred to me that well-meaning, post-racial relationships are sodden with a baggage no amount of colorblindness could ever expunge. There are criticisms that the inherited imbalance of cultural footing will not abide. When we find there is no way to discuss an imbalance without fueling it, we have lost an avenue to understanding. The scars of our shared racist history will never scab over, whether we pick at them or not. Abuse victims flinch at touch, even hugs. Abusers use hugs to stab slowly. The rest of us don’t know what to do with our hands. It’s just a scene in the play, but a damn good one if you know what you’re looking at.
Back to the Joshuas though. Because the last time I reviewed Carter, I ripped apart the entire play he was in. I did give him his flowers specifically, but I did his production of Hamlet dirrrty. My opinions of the show stand, sure, but this performance reminded me just how good he is. As I wrote then, I reaffirm. He gives strong Donald Glover vibes. Sure, they favor each other physically, but it’s deeper than that. There’s a personal confidence – no, it’s not confidence really… I’m having trouble putting my finger on this. There is a bearing that transcends socioeconomics and becomes the mein of the artist. Open-faced curiosity with a dignity planted in cement. His characters, as I’ve seen so far, don’t ask for space in a room. They just are, without apology or aggression. I thoroughly enjoyed his exploration of Shawn.
In the other corner is Joshua Mullin’s Matt. He brought a curated unstylishness that betrayed uncertainty, a personality built around not standing out, even when imbued with the gregariousness of a partier. He’s lovable, loving, and all too aware of his mediocrity. He brings layers of self-awareness to a character that secretly wishes for less. We see him shed it only when deeply engaged in discussion of his favorite topic, the Cleveland Cavaliers. This is the rub. It’s not about sports. It’s about finding comfort, acceptance, and brotherhood in the face of loss. He bodies the part.
Overall, it’s as I said, a humble play. Two friends get older together, moved by alternating swings of success and failure, attraction and distraction. It’s a solo violin, not an orchestra. Sometimes nothing sounds more poignant than that one aching string sustained mid-weep. If you know where to look, you’ll find a beautiful soul in King James.
Rajiv Joseph’s King James
January 15 – February 1, 2026
More Information HERE
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