Between Riverside and Crazy
Reviewed by Deborah Klugman
The Fountain Theatre
Through December 15
Stephen Adly Guirgis draws his characters — addicts, ex-cons and others who might generously be characterized as imperfect citizens — from the edges of polite society. Vivid communicators, often given to erratic behavior, they are inclined to be voluble and to express opinions colored with unconventional logic. Yet in their openness these folks are frequently guileless and sympathetic— traits which make the plays they inhabit engaging, entertaining and sometimes compelling.
Between Riverside and Crazy, a 2015 Pulitzer Prize winner directed by Guillermo Cienfuegos at the Fountain Theatre, revolves around a retired police officer with heaps of emotional baggage and a big heart. A widower, Walter “Pops” Washington (Montae Russell) lives in a sprawling (by Manhattan standards) rent-controlled dwelling on Riverside Drive, along with his son Junior (Matthew Hancock), a small time thief out on parole, and two other less-than-model individuals: Junior’s lady, Lulu (Marisol Miranda), an affable but none-too-bright gal who parades around the apartment in short shorts and revealing tops, and Oswaldo (Victor Anthony), a recovering addict Junior had met in prison. Against expectations, the household functions as a family, for while Walter can be difficult and persnickety, all three younger people show him care and respect; Lulu and Oswaldo even call him “Dad,” in Oswald’s case because he fills in so well for his real dad, who treats him with disdain.
But Walter has problems that trace back eight years to when he was shot by a white rookie cop while off-duty and drinking in a slummy bar frequented by denizens of the street. His injuries have left him impotent and embittered and the plaintiff in a civil suit against the NYPD that has yet to be resolved. While holding out for a hefty settlement, his bills have mounted up, so that he’s now facing eviction. Despite Junior’s warnings, he ignores the ominous notices from his landlord, and drowns his woes in alcohol as early as 10 a.m.
The plot kicks into gear with a visit from his former partner Audrey (Lesley Fera) and her fiancé, Dave (Joshua Bitton), an up-and-coming mucky muck with the police department. The pair have come to plead with Walter to accept the latest settlement offer or risk losing his apartment and any future hope of compensation. Walter digs in his heels, however, and a visit that begins cordially and with great warmth degenerates into bitter backbiting and the likely end of a longtime friendship.
One other significant encounter takes place when Walter hosts a lady from the church (Liza Fernandez) — not the staid Chips Ahoy–chomping matron who usually pays him a weekly visit but her replacement, an attractive, enigmatic woman from Brazil, with unusual insight and an ostensible enthusiasm for helping him solve his most intimate problem.
The play’s Pulitzer Prize notwithstanding, Guirgis’s script features several potholes and shortcomings. For example, Walter and Junior argue about a trip to Baltimore that Junior is reluctant to take, but the whys and wherefores of this trip and Walter’s insistence on it are never made clear. Likewise, while Junior’s criminal background is alluded to (most significantly by Dave as a threat to Walter’s status), its specifics remain elusive — it manifests solely in a single sealed carton that seems more a playwright’s afterthought than integral to the plot. More germanely, an unreasonable demand that Walter visits on longtime friend Audrey is hard to accept, even given the amount of alcohol he’s imbibed and the intense pressure he’s been under. And the quick turnabout to an upbeat ending may be satisfying and uplifting for the audience, but it sure feels contrived.
As Walter, Russell emanates strong presence, but his rendering focuses heavily on the character’s embitterment at the expense of his kindness and vulnerability. This makes for a less shaded portrayal than one might wish for. In a drama so clearly powered by a central performance, this counts for a lot — in this case, to the show’s detriment.
Among the supporting ensemble are strong performances that bolster the story. At the top of the list is Hancock’s Junior projecting, with nary a nanosecond of untruth, a conscientious son concerned for his dad, and patient with his addled girlfriend. Fera is naturalness personified in a reactive role that calls for her to supply exposition till the situation wings out of control and her nurturing self comes apart. And Bitton smoothly escalates from an amiable guest to a threatening adversary who goes for the jugular after Walter rejects his counsel and then crosses a line.
The highlight of the play is the encounter between Walter and his visitor as she seductively probes the defenses of this cantankerous disaffected man. Fernandez underplays it beautifully, and the scene, the best in the play, is a credit to both performers, and to the production’s intimacy director, Myrna Gawryn.
Integral to the story is the notion that Walter is comfortably situated in spacious digs that others envy, but this doesn’t project in David Mauer’s set, which (partly due to the theater’s small space) still seems dingy and cramped. Also, details in the staging were skimped on or ignored: The “pie” that Walter makes such a big dig of relishing in the very first scene looked to me (from a few feet away) more like cake. And the refrigerator, also in my line of vision, was nearly empty except for the couple of props that the actors, conscientiously taking their time, probed for as their characters sought refreshment.
The Fountain Theatre, 5060 Fountain Ave., East Hollywood. Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m.; Mon., 8 p.m.; (dark Dec. 9); through Dec. 15; (323) 663-1525 or www.FountainTheatre.com. Running time: approximately two hours and 15 minutes with an intermission.
