Thoughts on Between Riverside and Crazy

I have no idea why I missed the original production of Stephen Adly Guirgis' new play Between Riverside and Crazy last summer at the Atlantic Theater - I like new plays, I liked Guirgis' last play that I saw well enough and I'm a big fan of Stephen McKinley Henderson, who played the lead.  Henderson is always a bright spot of realistic perfection in any play he's in, especially in all the August Wilson plays he's been part of.  But miss the play I did.  So when Second Stage announced they'd be producing a remounting of the production, I jumped on the preview discount ticket offer that came my way.  I saw the show last Friday.

Although I imagine the show is pretty well a done deal by now, this particular incarnation is still in previews, so I'll just give a few thoughts.  I'm hoping to see it again after it opens (which should give you a hint on my feelings), so maybe I'll expound more at a later time.

After all that blah blah blah, I'll say that I was rather gobsmacked by Between Riverside and Crazy - I loved the dialogue, loved the characters, loved the twists and turns.  I did laugh, because some of the dialogue is so hysterical because it's rooted in these characters, but this could also be one of the saddest, most moving plays I've seen in awhile.  I cried quite a bit because I was so invested in what was going on and with what these characters were experiencing.

Stephen McKinley Henderson is brilliant, as always.  It's so great to see him hold a play completely, from start to finish, as opposed to coming on and stealing it from everyone else.  But all of the actors are fantastic.  They are all just so real and natural and this perfectly realized dialogue flows from them.

photo credit: Kevin Thomas Garcia

This is a great story about a cobbled-together family, centered around Henderson's character of Walter.  Walter is a former cop with a pending lawsuit against the NYPD, an ex-con son, former addicts who live with him and a possible grandchild on the way.  The situations he gets in and out of are so unexpected and his reactions to things were completely unique to me.  I will say I had a few quibbles with storytelling, but the people and the situations the story was ABOUT had me at hello.  That first scene is one of the best I can remember...

The play is directed impeccably by Austin Pendleton and the design was fantastic.  I spent much of the pre-show completely jealous of the apartment we were going to see.  The lights and music were also terrific.  This play was well-worth remounting (thanks, Second Stage!) and well-worth seeing.  Everyone should get over there and see Between Riverside and Crazy , I think you'll be so glad you did.