Local takes the lead in MTC production King James

It seemed as if Justin Fry was made for the stage. The 34-year-old actor took to drama at an early age which evolved into roles at Steinbach Regional Secondary School and university to eventually walking the boards at the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, where he is playing one of the leads in King James.

“This (play) is about basketball, about LeBron James. My dad’s a really big basketball fan so he was really happy to hear I was going to be doing this. It’s just been a real fun experience to combine my love of theatre and sports together in a play. It’s been a great experience,” said Fry.

King James follows Matt (played by Fry), a sports fan of the Cleveland Cavaliers with season tickets, and Shawn (played by Eric Miracle), who buys Matt’s tickets so that Matt can pay off a debt. The fast-paced comedy sees an evolving friendship between Matt and Shawn as it also highlights the career of LeBron ‘King’ James.

“In preparing for the role, I did a lot of research on the different basketball players that are mentioned and basketball teams that are mentioned and LeBron James, as well. I wasn’t incredibly familiar with LeBron James before this play and now I am and I’m completely mesmerized and I would say I’m a fan,” said Fry.

James is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer and has won four NBA championships from 10 NBA finals appearances, having made eight consecutive appearances between 2011 and 2018. He also won the inaugural NBA Cup in 2023 with the Lakers and has won three Olympic gold medals as a member of the U.S. national team, according to Wikipedia.

“Having researched quite a lot of players for this role he’s just so physically gifted. He’s so smart on the court and just incredibly naturally talented. And he just seems to possess all the attributes you would want in a basketball player,” said Fry.

“He’s good in offence, he’s good in defence. He’s a real team player and he gives everything for the team. People say that he’s the greatest basketball player ever and there’s a big debate between him and (Michael) Jordan, but you could make the case that he’s the best forever.”

What Fry wants people to take away from this play is the power of relationships and the significance of sports, and even the arts, in fostering relationships where people “connect with each other and how sometimes it seems like these things might be superficial, but really they kind of act as conduits for us to form deeper relationships with each other.”

“So, I hope audiences come and they see how strong relationships can be formed out of these particular conduits…”

Up next for Fry in June is the lead in A Streetcar Named Desire where he plays the abusive Stanley Kowalski at the Gas Station Arts Centre.

King James is directed by Ray Strachan and written by Rajiv Joseph. It runs until March 22. For tickets visit the MTC website.