Attention must be paid to the Gamm's ‘Between Riverside and Crazy'
The play is getting the compelling telling it deserves in its Rhode Island premiere at the Gamm Theatre. It is spearheaded by director Jeff Church, whose most recent productions as artistic director of Pawtucket's Burbage Theatre Company ('
by his exceptionally talented cast and crew.
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Like Guirgis' other works, 'Between Riverside and Crazy' is populated with richly drawn, fatally flawed, self-destructive characters that are hard to categorize. As the play unfolds, their glorious contradictions become captivating and lead to unexpected Everyman heroism. This is particularly so for retired police officer Walter 'Pops' Washington, portrayed with remarkable dexterity and honesty by Cliff Odle.
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Pops refuses to settle an eight-year-old civil lawsuit against the New York City Police Department after he, a Black man, was shot while off-duty by a white rookie officer. Pride is on the line. So is honor.
But mostly, Pops needs the residual anger and acknowledgement that the lawsuit provides to get up every morning to face another day without his self-worth, faith, sobriety, and his recently deceased wife. The outspoken Dolores always defended her man and would tell others that attention must be paid to Pops with the same conviction as Willy Loman's devoted spouse in Arthur Miller's 'Death of a Salesman.' Listen carefully and you'll also find evidence of August Wilson and Tennessee Williams in Guirgis' characters and dialogue, along with David Mamet's affinity for profanity.
Living with Pops in his rent-controlled apartment on Riverside Drive is his ne'er-do-well adult son, Junior, played by an intense Daniel Washington, who seems close to exploding upon each entrance, and imploding at each exit. Also freeloading are Junior's air-headed girlfriend Lulu — portrayed delightfully by Luz Lopez — who squeals 'I may look how I look, but that don't mean I am how I look' without providing a shred of evidence, and recently released felon Oswaldo, played by Arturo Puentes.
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Puentes effortlessly manifests the aforementioned dark comedy and intense drama, first in the play's very funny opening scene that finds Oswaldo trying to express feelings grounded in his case worker's over-intellectualized feel-good therapy, and then in the violence that erupts at the end of the first act. Puentes displayed a similar aptitude for Guirgis' work in last summer's Burbage production of 'The Motherf**ker With the Hat.'
Feeding Pops' indignation is a seemingly cordial visit by his former partner, Detective Audrey O'Connor (an excellent Rachel Dulude) and her two-faced fiancé, Lieutenant Dave Caro (Anthony Goes, also terrific in Burbage's 'The Motherf**ker With the Hat'). Both attempt to talk Pops into taking a settlement by convincing him that there is no Black or white on the police force, only blue. Attempting to restore his faith in God is a representative from a local church, portrayed by a wonderfully risk-taking Maria Albertina, who arrives at his door with a Bible in one hand and ulterior motives in the other.
The play takes place in a performance space built for intimacy and with an eye for detail by scenic designer Michael McGarty. The set consists of adjoining rooms – a lived-in kitchen, family room, and bedroom – that show remnants of Dolores' gentle touch and taste, that are now obscured by Pops' indifference. All this has been pushed so close to the edge of the audience's seating that we can feel the heat coming from the on-stage arguments, and easily hear sound designer Peter Sasha Hurowitz's between-scene underscoring with thematically relevant lyrics, such as Sly Stone's 'It's a Family Affair,' coming from Pops' phonograph. Steve McLellan's lighting design and Amanda Downing Carney street-smart costuming add to the production's authenticity.
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Pops may feel that no one is paying attention, but the folks at the Gamm should have no such worries when it comes to this fine production.
BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY
Play by Stephen Adly Guirgis. Directed by Jeff Church. At the Gamm Theatre, 1245 Jefferson Boulevard, Warwick. Runs through March 9. Tickets $65-$75, plus fees. 401-723-4266,
Bob Abelman is an award-winning theater critic who formerly wrote for the Austin Chronicle. Connect with him
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