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stressed the primacy that communication and friendship play, with all the ups and downs, in the dramatic arc of the piece. Nancy Bishop described it, in Third Coast Review, as "a buddy play in the best sense of that term" and suggests that people unfamiliar with the arcana of basketball might want to
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in Los
Angeles was originally scheduled for production during their 2019–2020 seasons. The premiere was delayed for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, until March 13, 2022 in Chicago and June 1, 2022 in Los Angeles. Rajiv Joseph, Glenn Davis and Kenny Leon, who is directing at Steppenwolf for
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review, Steven Oxman wrote that the play has "brisk and witty dialogue" but that some attendees might expect more "thematic darkness or sociopolitical-aesthetic-spiritual contemplation," given Rajiv Joseph's earlier plays. Joey Morona suggested that the assumed level of basketball know-how may be
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The play's drama derives from the ups and downs of Matt's and Shawn's friendship, the ebbs and flows of their two careers, and the comings and goings of LeBron James. The play's four scenes take place at the time of Matt's and Shawn's initial meeting during the 2003–2004 season, six and one half
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Rajiv Joseph began to write the play in 2017, motivated to "preserve some of the experience of following and cheering" for LeBron James. "Rajiv's first draft had a lot of basketball in it," according to Glenn Davis, who is a long-term friend of Rajiv Joseph, but "as each new draft came in, the
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the first time, are all longtime basketball aficionados, but not so much for Chris
Perfetti. This added depth to the play's development at Steppenwolf as being both about and not about basketball – about how sports helps to bring people together. As Rajiv Joseph said to Sarah Bahr of the
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223:"get educated with a lot of basketball" before going. Bishop, Vitello and Oxman all praised the enhancement of the "pre-game" and the "half-time" music by DJ Khloe Janel. Sheri Flanders of
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A number of reviewers comment on the balance between two aspects of the play: its deep dive into basketball, and its portrayal of communication between sports fans. In his
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specifics about basketball began to disappear because Rajiv wanted to make sure this play was about friendship."
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419:"In 'King James' at Steppenwolf Theatre, the love of LeBron James brings Cleveland friends together"
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noted the
Steppenwolf costume design by Samantha C. Jones as well as
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overly esoteric for those who are not
Cleveland sports fans.
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Is All About
Friendship, Heartbreak and Basketball"
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216:Barbara Vitello of suburban Chicago's
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467:Bishop, Nancy S. (March 17, 2022).
442:Vitello, Barbara (March 18, 2022).
128:in Chicago, under the direction of
522:Flanders, Sheri (March 16, 2022).
233:'s highly detailed scenic design.
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365:Oxman, Steven (March 14, 2022).
498:"Artist profiles – Khloe Janel"
417:Jones, Chris (March 14, 2022).
390:Morona, Joey (March 16, 2022).
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253:Morona, Joey (March 4, 2022).
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550:King James at Steppenwolf.org
312:Fung, Lisa (March 9, 2022).
178:years later at the time of
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469:"At Steppenwolf Theatre,
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16:2022 play by Rajiv Joseph
82:March 3, 2022
589:Plays set in the 2010s
584:Plays set in the 2000s
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162:Center Theatre Group
502:Steppenwolf Theatre
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194:Critical reception
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182:The Decision
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146:LeBron James
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45:Rajiv Joseph
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205:Chris Jones
152:Development
138:Glenn Davis
51:Directed by
564:2022 plays
558:Categories
533:2022-03-23
508:2022-03-26
483:2022-03-28
471:King James
453:2022-03-26
428:2022-03-16
403:2022-03-23
376:2022-03-17
351:2022-12-14
323:2022-03-30
298:2022-03-22
266:2022-03-23
237:References
130:Kenny Leon
117:King James
86:2022-03-03
61:Characters
55:Kenny Leon
41:Written by
24:King James
200:Sun-Times
148:playing.
108:Cleveland
173:Synopsis
104:Setting
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