We take a look at what critics have to say about Rajiv Joseph’s play which continues to run until the 4th January 2025.
Broadway World: **** “King James is a strangely heartwarming piece about the male psyche. If anything, it really shows how little some men speak about the major events in their lives to one another and showcases a pair of promising performers with an excellent future ahead. It’s definitely worth the trip Downstairs.”
All That Dazzles: *** “Despite just how slow the build proves to be in King James, the understanding of sports as a gateway to rich, nuanced relationships is undeniable. Elevated by the chemistry of its cast, this exploration of loyalties and imbalanced friendships does prove to carry a good amount of power, and has plenty to say around its themes.”
The Guardian: *** “What the play lacks in specificity about why James and basketball itself are so enthralling to watch, it gains in universality about sporting passion – particularly useful for a UK audience less familiar with the game. It is a lean, keen-eyed and compelling piece but like many dramas giving a sideways look at a famous figure, it can’t quite emerge from the shadow of the stranger-than-fiction king himself.”
London Theatre1: *** ” Both actors demonstrate considerable commitment to their roles, holding court, as it were, with convincing and surprisingly nuanced performances. A line in the show’s programme states, “Hampstead Theatre would like to thank Mary Ellen Wanty for the basketball coaching”. I would like to do the same: if I hadn’t known any better, I might have been inclined to think these actors were cast in the first place at least partly for basketball prowess.”
Theatre Vibe: “This play is a portrait of the endearing friendship between Matt and Shawn. The naturalness of their conversation and their openness with one another makes for interesting theatre as we learn about their history and development. This kind of play fits well into Hampstead’s downstairs space with good performances and direction.”
WhatsOnStage: *** “Alice Hamilton’s fluent and detailed direction can’t quite disguise this. And the need to change the set (nicely designed by Good Teeth) in the middle of the action means it feels over-extended. For all its good nature, King James ends up more airball than slam dunk.”
The Spy in the Stalls: **** “Award-winning playwright Rajiv Joseph is a Cleveland native and this one’s from the heart. His razor-sharp vignettes – slangy and real – are held together with the scar tissue of a veteran sports fan, full of pangs, longing, and the most dreaded thing of all – hope.”
The Reviews Hub: **** “The quick-fire exchanges give director Alice Hamilton’s perfectly pitched production the feel of a David Mamet piece. It seems remarkable that these young British actors are able to master the pace and rhythm of Joseph’s dialogue with such consummate skill, but their sensitive performances also delve deep into the hearts of their characters. A minor gripe – a play that runs briskly for around 80 minutes is extended to 100 minutes by the intrusion of an interval; a set change explains this, but it does not justify the disruption to the play’s flow.”
Time Out: **** “This isn’t a play with a tidily happy ending, but it’s also a hopeful one. By the end of the final scene, which involves little more than a crumpled-up ball of paper and a wastepaper bin, we’re left with an affecting sense of the power of a shared passion to create a fragile unity.”
British Theatre Guide: “King James is an engaging piece of theatre that happens to feature baseball fans. If you happen to be a sports enthusiast, that’s cream on your cake, but a slam dunk is about the only thing I know about basketball and it certainly held me.”
The Stage: **** “With direction from Alice Hamilton, this satisfying two-hander explores the nature of how men communicate.”
ReviewsGate.co.uk: **** “King James is a funny, moving, terrific play.”
To book tickets visit: https://www.hampsteadtheatre.com/whats-on/2024/king-james/