Between Riverside and Crazy

Cadence Theatre Company and Virginia Repertory Theatre to Produce Between Riverside and Crazy

Winner of the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Drama Will Run October 13 to November 4

Cadence Theatre Company and Virginia Repertory Theatre are pleased to announce their co-production of Stephen Adly Guirgis’s Between Riverside and Crazy, premiering in the Theatre Gym at Virginia Repertory Theatre on October 13 and running through November 4.

Winner of the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Between Riverside and Crazy tells the story of widower and retired New York City police officer Walter “Pops” Washington, a patriarchal figure who opens his Riverside Drive home — what Guirgis describes as a “rent-controlled Palace ruled by a grieving despot King” — to his ex-con son Junior, Junior’s free-spirited girlfriend Lulu, and recovering addict Oswaldo. The play’s exploration of police brutality, race, and gun violence comes to a head when Walter’s former partner, Detective Audrey O’Connor, and her volatile fiancé, Lieutenant Caro, attempt to convince Pops to settle his lawsuit against the New York City Police Department for the racially motivated shooting that left him disabled and unsure of his place in the world.

The New York Times described Between Riverside and Crazy as “[a] rich new play somewhere south of cozy and north of dangerous, west of sitcom and due east of tragedy.” In a work that delves into issues of ownership, addiction, and grief, Guirgis ultimately writes about home, healing, and the family we choose. Professor Artisia Green, Associate Professor of Theatre and Africana Studies and Program Director of African Studies at The College of William & Mary, writes, “For me, Between Riverside and Crazy engenders compassion for the orphans of our society — the voices of those we tend to listen to the least — and reminds us that everyone deserves a ‘soft landing place.'”

Between Riverside and Crazy is directed by Founder and Artistic Director of The Conciliation Project, Dr. Tawnya Pettiford-Wates (A Streetcar Named Desire, The Grapes of Wrath, Dangerous Liaisons). Cadence Theatre Company’s production of Between Riverside and Crazy is led by award-winning playwright and actor David Emerson Toney in the role of Walter Washington. The talented ensemble cast also features Jerold E. Solomon, Thony Mena, Juliana Caycedo, Bianca Bryan, Larry Cook, and Maria Hendricks. The design team includes Rich Mason (Scenic Design), Sarah Grady (Costume Design), Andrew Bonniwell (Lighting Design), and Jesse Senechal (Sound Design).

This production of Between Riverside and Crazy is made possible through the generosity and support of Cadence Theatre Company’s Season Sponsor, Salomon & Ludwin, and The E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation. Other major supporters include Frona and Alan Colker, For the Love of Chocolate, The Virginia Commission for the Arts, The National Endowment for the Arts, and Community Idea Stations.

Between Riverside and Crazy
By Stephen Adly Guirgis
October 13–November 4, 2018 (Discounted Preview Nights October 11 and 12)
Show times: Thursday at 7:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday at 2:00 p.m.
Talkbacks October 21 and 28
Theatre Gym at Virginia Repertory Theatre
114 West Broad Street, Richmond, VA 23220
Tickets prices: $10-$35