King James Cast and Creatives Announcement

The Old Globe
announces the full cast and creative team of
the funny and energetic play
King James,
by Pulitzer Prize finalist Rajiv Joseph,
directed by Justin Emeka

Performances begin March 9 through March 31, 2024
with the opening on Thursday, March 14

Tickets are now on sale at www.TheOldGlobe.org

PHOTO EDITORS: Photos of the Globe’s production of King James can be found here.

SAN DIEGO (February 2, 2024) The Old Globe is pleased to announce the full cast and creative team for King James. The play is written by Pulitzer Prize finalist and Obie Award winner Rajiv Joseph (Broadway’s Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, Off Broadway’s Guards at the Taj) and is directed by Justin Emeka (Pittsburgh Public Theater’s Sweat and American Son). King James plays at the Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, part of the Globe’s Conrad Prebys Theatre Center, from March 9 through March 31, 2024, with the official opening night on Thursday, March 14. Tickets are now on sale at www.TheOldGlobe.org.

The breathtaking career of NBA icon LeBron James is the backdrop for this energetic and funny play. Shawn is Black and Matt is White, and they couldn’t be more different—except for their love of the Cleveland Cavaliers. The friendship that develops between them, at turns contentious and compassionate, becomes something as enduring and profound as James’s legacy itself. Interwoven with moments of camaraderie, laughter, and poignancy, King James dives into the heart of basketball fandom and highlights the profound connections that sports can cultivate.

“Rajiv Joseph’s play is a beautifully written study of friendship, a subject that’s explored all too rarely on the stage,” said Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein. “It’s also about the way that sports transcend differences and bring people together regardless of their backgrounds. The brilliant and spectacular career of LeBron James and the gorgeous game of basketball hover in the background and give shape to this funny and touching story of two guys in Cleveland and the ups and downs of their lives. In the hands of the wonderful director Justin Emeka, making his Globe debut, King James is a memorable and completely beguiling evening of theatre.”

The cast for King James includes Joshua Echebiri as Shawn (The Old Globe’s Globe for All Tour production of Henry V, Off Broadway’s Partnership, Apple TV+’s “Dear Edward”) and Caleb Foote as Matt (CBS’s “The Kids Are Alright,” San Diego Repertory Theatre’s Hand to God).

Understudying Matt and Shawn are Danny Adams (Off Broadway’s The Office: A Musical Parody, Ozark Actors Theatre’s Sunday in the Park with George) and Kevin Alicea-Minor (A Red Orchid Theatre’s Is God Is, The Old Globe’s The Two Gentlemen in Verona), respectively.

Also, joining Joseph and Emeka as part of the creative team for the Globe’s production of King James are Lawrence E. Moten III (Scenic Design), Sarita Fellows (Costume Design), Abigail Hoke-Brady (Lighting Design), Lindsay Jones (Sound Design), Caparelliotis Casting (Casting), and Sam Allen (Production Stage Manager).

King Jameswill play on the Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, part of the Globe’s Conrad Prebys Theatre Center in San Diego’s Balboa Park (1363 Old Globe Way). Performances for the four-week limited engagement run March 9–31, 2024, with the official press opening on Thursday, March 14 at 7:00 p.m. Ticket prices for King James start at $33 and are available at www.TheOldGlobe.org, by phone at (619) 23-GLOBE (234-5623), and in person at The Old Globe’s Box Office in Balboa Park (1363 Old Globe Way). Visit www.TheOldGlobe.org for a full schedule and additional information.

Opening night post-show receptions for the cast and donors are held in Hattox Hall, located in the Karen and Donald Cohn Education Center.

Financial support of The Old Globe is provided by The City of San Diego. The Theodor and Audrey Geisel Fund provides leadership support for The Old Globe’s year-round activities.

Bios and photos of all participants can be found at www.TheOldGlobe.org/Press-Room.

The Tony Award–winning The Old Globe is one of the country’s leading professional nonprofit regional theatres. Now in its 89th year, the Globe is San Diego’s flagship performing arts institution, and it serves a vibrant community with theatre as a public good. Under the leadership of Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein and the Audrey S. Geisel Managing Director Timothy J. Shields, The Old Globe produces a year-round season of 16 productions of classic, contemporary, and new works on its three Balboa Park stages, including its internationally renowned Shakespeare Festival. More than 250,000 people annually attend Globe productions and participate in the theatre’s artistic and arts engagement programs. Its nationally prominent Arts Engagement Department provides an array of participatory programs that make theatre matter to more people in neighborhoods throughout the region. Humanities programs at the Globe and around the city broaden the community’s understanding of theatre art in all its forms. The Globe also boasts a range of new play development programs with professional and community-based writers, as well as the renowned The Old Globe and University of San Diego Shiley Graduate Theatre Program. Numerous world premieres—such as 2014 Tony Award winner for Best Musical A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, Bright Star, The Full Monty, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas! —have been developed at The Old Globe and have gone on to highly successful runs on Broadway and at regional theatres across the country.

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