Variety - Recommended
"...What won’t be debated is how good Chris Perfetti and Glenn Davis are in these roles, under the direction of Kenny Leon (whose 2014 Tony win for “A Raisin in the Sun” barely scratches the surface of his August-Wilson-to-“Hairspray-Live!” breadth). Perfetti’s Matt is a little more manic and crotchety, and Davis’ Shawn a bit smoother and more even-tempered, until he finds a real reason for righteous anger. But they’ve been written more for what they have in common, really, than for what sets them apart, which puts an extra burden on the actors to subtly accentuate the temperamental differences that have been baked in, which they do quite wonderfully."
Broadway World - Recommended
"...As Joseph's scripts go, this is not his greatest. The humor is shoddy at times and there seems to be a desperate struggle to remain current in language that doesn't pervade Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo or Guards at the Taj. However, his grasp of the shifting zeitgeist is astute, subtle, multi-faceted, and makes King James a play worthy of the contemporary regional theatre circuit."
Stage and Cinema - Highly Recommended
"...Center Theatre Group's winning new dramady King James - a co-production with Chicago's Steppenwolf Company - is a must see for more than just rabid sports fans. Nobody writes a tale of two straight boys in a bromance better than Rajiv Joseph (Guards at the Taj). And his two-hander, which opened last night at the Mark Taper Forum, features the top notch dynamic duo of Glenn Davis and Chris Perfetti as an unlikely friendship that fuels the very relatable action at the show's heart. These terrific performers absolutely give a winning assist to each other."
Stage Scene LA - Highly Recommended
"...Two young men forge a life-changing best-friendship thanks to their shared love of basketball (and more specifically of b-ball superstar LeBron James) in Rajiv Joseph's heart-stopping brom-com King James, now bringing audiences to their feet at the Mark Taper Forum."
Total Theater - Recommended
"...The action in King James takes place over a span of several years. When Matt and Shawn finally reconnect, in the trinket shop which Matt is managing, they are older and regretful of the way they parted company over the abdication of King James. They are also cheered by the news that Le Bron intends to sign with the Cavaliers again: “it’s the return of the prodigal son,” one of them proclaims."
Entertainment Weekly - Recommended
"...King James is an engrossing two-hander, and it presents a lot of themes to mull, but it simply doesn't go deep enough on any of them. It's a funny, touching viewing experience, but one can't help but feel the gap between its wanting to say something and actually saying something."
Ticket Holders LA - Highly Recommended
"...Although Rajiv Joseph’s King James might on first glance appear to be about a pair of diehard basketball buddies and the simultaneous history of one of the game’s most talked about players, it may be unsportsmanlike but to me, it’s far more than that: it’s an inspirational kind of alternative love story, pure and simple—the kind of dream realized that’s too dang easy to take for granted."
Its Not About Me - Highly Recommended
"...I'm sure that many of you know by now, especially after my most recent YouTube video, how majorly into basketball I am. Always have been. So when I heard that the Mark Taper Forum was presenting a new play called King James, (which, lest you think it's about the King James Bible or the seventeenth century King, is peripherally about LeBron James' time playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers,) I was there."
