"Kings of Harlem" will take the stage at the Patriots Theater at the Trenton War Memorial on Friday
TRENTON -- "Kings of Harlem," an off-Broadway play about the first black-owned, all-black professional basketball team in history, is taking the stage at the Trenton War Memorial on Friday.
The Harlem Rens were regarded as one of the best teams at a time when blacks were barred from the National Basketball Association.
The Rens, who competed from the 1920s until 1949, were named after Harlem's Renaissance Casino and played in its second-story ballroom. They won more than 2,000 games, including 88 straight in 86 days in 1932-33.
The play is written and directed by Layon Gray, who brought his play, "BLack Angels over Tuskegee" to Trenton in 2014.
Friday's event is being sponsored by Heal The City, a group that is dedicated to the positive redevelopment of the city's culture and community. The group is best known for its billboard campaign that highlighted local residents and their accomplishments.
Before the show, Heal The City will pay tribute to some of Trenton Central High School's best basketball players from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.
Tickets are $25. For tickets, go to healthecitytrenton.org or contact Stacy Heading at 267-528-5781 or Ivey Avery at 609-372-8999.
The show is at 7 p.m. and doors open at 6 p.m. The Patriots Theater at the War Memorial is at One Memorial Drive, Trenton.
Cristina Rojas may be reached at crojas@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @CristinaRojasTT. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
