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GableStage Theatre Company will present the Miami premiere of King James, a comedy centering on two unlikely friends whose bond is forged by LeBron James fandom.
Written by Pulitzer finalist Rajiv Joseph, King James premiered at Chicago’s famed Steppenwolf Theatre Company in 2022 before moving to Broadway the following year. King James is the 26th Season opener for GableStage and plays at the theater company’s historic Biltmore Hotel home from Nov. 1 to Nov. 24.
It’s 2004 and “King” Lebron James’ reign in Cleveland brings promise, prosperity and renewal to a city in desperate need of all three. Told over 12 years (from LeBron’s rookie season to an NBA Championship) King James stars actors Melvin Huffnagle (August Wilson’s How I Learned What I Learned) and Gregg Weiner (The Price) in an intimate chronicle of two friends whose turbulent relationship is best navigated through a shared love of basketball.
“One of our requirements for finding a director for this fast-paced and clever new play, was that they had to have been in Miami for one of the Miami Heat’s championships with LeBron. I wanted to hear first-hand experiences about Miami absolutely erupting when the Miami Heat won in 2012 and 2013,” said producing artistic director Bari Newport.
“I also wanted to hear about what happened when LeBron left the Miami Heat in 2014. I wanted to hear about the burning of the jerseys and the utter despair. Ruben Carrazana had a wonderful story about a championship celebration. I am thrilled he is directing our production,” Newport added.
Carrazana, who is now Chicago-based, is no stranger to GableStage. He is a graduate of Miami Springs High School and spent summers building sets for the Coral Gables-based theater company.
“You leave home, abandon your family and friends to chase your dreams. But you inevitably return home,” Carrazana said. “This will be my first time directing in Miami, so in many ways this production feels like a homecoming to me as well. When I was in high school, GableStage introduced me to the kind of work I have spent the past decade building a career with. It’s a dream to come back home and direct this at a theater and a community that means so much to me.”
A number of “wrap-around” special events are scheduled to take place during the run of King James. Immediately following the Friday, Nov. 8 King James performance, Mosaic Miami presents “Friendship Through the Peaks and Plateaus of Hoop Dreams” with former University of Miami basketball player Alex Fraser and the University of Miami Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Steve Edwards.
On Tuesday, Nov. 19, at 7:30 p.m., GableStage’s managing director, Jeff Potts, will be in conversation with original Miami Heat head coach Ron Rothstein and vice president of the Miami Heat Charitable Foundation Steve Stowe. This event is part of the GableStage Dramatically Speaking series at Temple Beth Am’s The Hub. Both of these special events are open free to the public.
The Miami premiere of King James is made possible in part through the generous sponsorship of Funding Arts Network, Jill and Hal Gaffin, and Marc and Robyn Abrams.
The production schedule of King James includes two special 10:30 a.m. student matinee performances for 300 Miami-Dade high school students on Nov. 8 and Nov. 15. This program is offered by the Miami-Dade County Cultural Passport Program.
GableStage continues its partnerships with area nonprofits through “Non-Profit Nights” for each production. Organizations utilize the production’s final dress rehearsal as fundraising events for their non-profit. To date, more than $10,000 has been raised for partner organizations through this program. The non-profit production partner for King James is Teach For America, a non-profit organization with a mission to address educational inequality.
King James runs Nov. 1-24 with 7:30 p.m. performances on Wednesdays through Saturdays. Matinees are offered at 2 p.m. on Wednesdays, Sundays and on the final Saturday of every run.
Beginning 30 minutes before every performance, audience members are invited to “open a window on the work” by deep diving into the production at hand. A member of the artistic team leads these pre-show talks in the “cafe” in front of the theater.
New this season: Wine Down Fridays. Pre show before every Friday performance, Clementine’s Wine Gourmet will offer patrons vino from around the world.
Tickets begin at $40, with special rates for artists, military personnel, and groups of 8 or more. Students and teachers may attend any performance free of charge through GableStage’s Student/Teacher Rush. Arrive 45 minutes before showtime and fill any empty seat. Student/Teacher ID is required.
Tickets may be purchased by visiting www.GableStage.org or by calling 305-445-1119.
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