Between Riverside and Crazy | Steppenwolf Theater
Between Riverside and Crazy will send you on an emotional rollercoaster with ex-cop Walter “Pops” Washington and his ex-con son Junior. Pops struggles to hold his family together, while waiting on the impending verdict of his lawsuit against the police department. This contemporary piece unapologetically confronts prejudice, post-traumatic stress, justice and pride.
Pops, a stubborn old timer with no filter, is the patriarch of his eclectic family. Wheeling himself around in his dead wife’s wheelchair and being perpetually drunk, while amusing, casts a dark overtone. From being shot off duty many years ago, Pops is still waiting on his money from the lawsuit case against the NYPD. As his house is a warm environment of a time gone past, relationships focal this work. With a wide variety of characters like Oswaldo, a juvey ward, to Detective O’Connor, a blue-white-collar NYPD ex-partner, perceptions guide through the dynamic of ups and downs Pops faces. The human condition to care for and to be cared by others ricochets off the wallpapered walls.
The set design within itself holds great merit for illuminating the microcosm of Pop’s world. Collette Pollard, scenic designer, was heavily influenced by playwright Stephen Guirgis’ apartment on Riverside Drive in New York City. In a brief vignette within the playbill detailing highlights of the trip with director Yasen Peyankov, Pollard explains the key features the physical Guirgis flat to the script. The phenomenal attention to detail really is striking. From the wedding pictures on the walls to the magnets on the fridge to the types of cereal above it, these small items allow the audience to become enveloped into this world, as if we are in the apartment too. A true fly on the wall experience. The intimacy created funnels in your attention and illustrates humanity on a truly palpable level.
This compelling piece would falter if not for the striking cast of talented individuals. Eamonn Walker, playing Pops, is truly a wonder to watch perform. With distinguishable credits as titular role in Othello (Shakespeare’s Old Globe) and Tears of the Sun (2003), most Chicagoans will know him as gruff authoritative Chief Boden from NBC's Chicago Fire. The variety in his performance and subtle change in demeanor is a gift even the most trained actors struggle to hone. Walker brings a grounding to Pop's misunderstood irrational stubbornness. Opposite him, Lily Mojekwu, who is no stranger to the Chicago stage, has a commanding presence showing extreme passion and heat in her role. Portraying the Church lady who visits Pops to convince him to take communion and repent for his sins, Mojekwu brings vivacity, sexuality, and power into the mix.
Between the foul language and family drama, this performance will having you leaving the theater reflecting thoroughly about our society today. Gun violence and a changing world is not something only left to the world of fiction. It is right outside the doors, on the news, in our streets. Time moves forward, but do these tragedies of ill nature?
When: Through Aug. 21
Where: Steppenwolf Theatre Company, 1650 N. Halsted St.
Running time: 2 hours
Tickets: $20-$89 at 312-335-1650 or steppenwolf.org
