“Magic/Bird,” Eric Simonson’s new play at the Longacre Theatre about the eponymous basketball players, does a terrific job at capturing the rivalry and friendship between the two stars. The charm of the basketball stars is depicted perfectly by the actors; Magic (Kevin Daniels) is smiling and easygoing while Bird (Tug Coker) shows his characteristic calculating introversion. The atmosphere is generally lighthearted, but we see sincere emotion. The other actors, Peter Scolari, Dierdre O’Connell, Francois Battiste, and Robert Manning, Jr. all play about five characters each. They shift from role to role, giving each part very energetic performances.

The play brings in hype at the very start, opening like a basketball game, with the names of each actor announced as they run onto stage. The stage resembles a miniature basketball court, with benches and wardrobes on the side.Simonson then opens the story with Magic breaking the news to Bird: Magic has “the HIV virus.” Their conversation, done over the phone, is short but touching; Bird is at a loss for words. The play then turns back to 1979, when Magic defeats Bird in a college basketball tournament, and where their rivalry develops as the players are drafted. Some scenes are shown side by side; we see the contrasting personalities of the two. The two are charismatic in different ways: Magic is cheerful and jaunty, capable of charm; Bird is pensive but attentive, a do-it-yourself kind of guy from the country.

The two were great rivals on the court, and we see overviews of their first few seasons as clips from games play on the back wall. However, the specific point where they become friends is one of the best scenes in the play. Magic travels to Bird’s hometown of French Lick, Indiana, to shoot a converse commercial together. Bird invites Magic to eat with his mother, Georgia, who greets Magic with a hug. Bird and Magic start to open up to each other; they were both poor Midwesterners with similar self-reliant values. The endearing scene of the two opening up to each other shows real admiration.

When the play comes back to when Magic tells Bird about his HIV, the dynamic has completely changed. Whereas once before the two were rivals, wary of each other on the court, the two are now friends. The play ends with the two winning the medal at the 1992 Olympics. Although they are friends, they speak to each other in the same manner, keeping their personalities from the start of the play. After all, the actors are playing real people.