REVIEW: "Between Riverside and Crazy" at Albany Civic Theater

ALBANY – Well underway into their fourth theater season, Harbinger Theatre held its 16^th Capital Region premiere of “Between Riverside and Crazy”, written by SUNY Albany alumni and playwright, Stephen Adly Guirgis, Friday, July 18 at Albany Civic Theater.  

Adly Guirgis is the first playwright that this local theater group has produced twice. In Summer 2023, Harbinger Theatre first produced “The Motherf***** with the Hat” at Albany Civic Theater (ACT) and this summer, director, Patrick White, directed “Between Riverside and Crazy”.

White chose this play because he “loved the fight for respect, fairness, and justice against an unyielding society and system, regardless of the morally compromised character of the protagonist.”  

About “Between Riverside and Crazy”

Hasson Harris Wilcher as Walter "Pops" Washington (on left) with Jenny Forson as Lulu (on right). Photo taken by Andrew Elder of Best Frame Forward

“Between Riverside and Crazy”, written in 2014 by Adly Guirgis, first premiered July 31,2014 at the Atlantic Theater Company in New York City. The drama centers around Walter “Pops” Washington (played by Hasson Harris Wilcher), a retired New York City African American police officer. Washington’s wife died from an illness and his recently paroled son, Junior (played by Marquis Heath), who was released from jail, both live in a rent-controlled apartment in New York City. Also spending time at the apartment with “Pops” and Junior are Junior’s girlfriend, Lulu (played by Jenny Forson) and Oswaldo (played by Jared Lewis-Holliday), a recovering addict.  

Throughout scenes one and two, “Pops” has been pursuing a discrimination suit against the New York City Police Department, because he was accidently shot by another police officer on the squad who called “Pops” a derogatory name outside of a bar. Lt. Dave Caro (played by Jay “J” Hunter) and his fiancé, Detective Audrey O’Connor (played by Elizabeth Wellspeak), attempt to get “Pops” to fill out paperwork to end the lawsuit at his home. And finally, a Brazilian Church Lady (played by Sadrina Renee) wants “Pops” to get closer to God by taking in his “communion”, in addition to having some sexual intercourse in his home, resulting in “Pops” receiving a heart attack in the process. 

 “Between Riverside and Crazy” received several awards in 2015, including the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play, and the Off-Broadway Alliance Award for Best New Play. The play officially made its Broadway debut at the Hayes Theater Dec. 19, 2022, and closed production Feb. 19, 2023.  

The Review and the Talk Back 

“Between Riverside and Crazy” is intense, dramatic, and keeps its spectators in suspense in what happens next. Oswaldo sees “Pops” as a second father figure but once “Pops” swings back at him in a drunken spiral, Oswaldo defends himself by using a hammer to whack “Pops” in the head.  

Jared Lewis-Holliday as Oswaldo (on left) with Hasson Harris Wilcher as Walter "Pops" Washington (on right). Photo by Andrew Elder of Best Frame Forward.

The play gives a bit of an insight into the difference between who is declared a “good cop” or a “bad cop”, but all individuals, regardless of what kind of profession they have, or how they tick personally, have flaws, and they must come to terms in accepting their imperfections before turning a new leaf on a new lease on life.  

For example, “Pops”, who has difficulty moving on from his wife’s death, resorts to drinking alcohol, to hide his pain and keep his emotions in check. Prior to his wife’s passing, Pops’ alcohol problem, and his wandering, also led to the conflict with the other police officer.  

Lt. Dave Caro and Detective O’Connor, who at first seem to be on the side of rooting for Pops’ best interests in making sure he signs his paperwork and pays his apartment rent before he’s evicted from his home, don’t exactly have good intentions in mind, especially Lt. Dave Caro, who threatens Pops to further put Junior and Oswaldo in prison if they don’t get their acts together and continue to live in a life of crime.   

“I have to say it did take me a little while to figure out things that I did like about Dave.” Hunter explained during the Friday evening talkback. “I don’t mind playing villains, and in fact, it’s a lot more fun than trying to figure out how the hell they tick and how they get to be how they were.”  

Eventually, Hunter learned that Lt. Dave Caro has no illusions about himself and that he’s just a cog in the wheel, and the wheel’s going to keep on rolling whether he does anything with it or not. Although his love for Audrey O’Connor is genuine (he wins money for Audrey’s engagement ring from playing a celebrity poker game with actor, Ben Afflick), so that when Walter “Pops” pulls the rug out from them and takes away Audrey’s engagement ring, it really hurts for both of them, Hunter said.  

“It was hard to like my character. I don’t know about you, but I was like, she’s terrible, like you got to find something good in his world.” Wellspeak said.  

Hasson Harris Wilcher as Walter "Pops" Washington (blurred, on left), Jay "J" Hunter as Lt. Dave Caro (center), and Elizabeth Wellspeak as Detective Audrey O'Connor (on right). Photo by Andrew Elder of Best Frame Forward.

Hasson Harris Wilcher’s mother was born on Long Island, and the rest of his family was from Brooklyn. Harris Wilcher, who was born and raised in Albany, was able to adapt and get into becoming his loud, rude, difficult, but deep down, a caring and at-peace man known as “Pops”.  

Through the acting process, Harris Wilcher realized that “Pops” struggled with pride, and although “Pops” had a tough exterior, he also had a soft, kind heart that needed to be loved and healed.  

“At the same time, he’s kind of a deadbeat, an ass****, and I’m like, okay, what are you holding on to? Obviously, he’s been holding on to a lot of emotions.” Harris Wilcher explains. “So he comes at it as hard and aggressive, like a true New Yorker does, but there is a vulnerability that he doesn’t want to show, so he is trying to hold as tight and firm as possible to be a man, to stand strong, and for whatever morals he has, because he had to flip some morals to operate as a cop, as a black cop in the ways that he did growing up for sure and for his family.” 

Throughout the play, “Pops” tries to carve some kind of path for himself, but he had no idea what the path was going to be until he had a heart attack and was given a second chance at a brand-new beginning, that there is something else for him to do with his life. 

“Pops” gives Junior freedom to live independently away from him, and Junior spends his remaining time in the kitchen with Oswaldo and Lulu. Meanwhile, “Pops” and the dog venture out into the city to reunite with the Church lady to reconcile and give her a ring. 

“And I think that’s what I agree with is that he did find something that was better. He found his freedom and he got what he wanted.” Harris Wilcher concluded.  

Hasson Harris Wilcher as Walter "Pops" Wahington (on left) with Jay "J" Hunter as Lt. Dave Caro (on right). Photo by Andrew Elder of Best Frame Forward.

“Between Riverside and Crazy’s Lt. Dave Caro and Pops strong personalities and interactions with one another will keep audiences in suspense and captivated into who wins this deeply personal showdown amongst the men through the strong acting chops of both Hunter and Harris Wilcher.  

“Between Riverside and Crazy” is Harbinger’s 17^th overall production. Its final week of showings will be held on Friday, July 25 and Saturday, July 26 (7:30 p.m.) and ends Sunday, July 27 (3:00 p.m.). A second Talkback Friday will be held July 25. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased on the Harbinger Theatre website Ludus - Harbinger Theatre. Albany Civic Theater is located at 235 Second Ave, Albany, NY 12209.