Between Riverside & Crazy - Hampstead Theatre

I’ve just seen this and really liked it. I thought that the acting was terrific and the plot very interesting and exactly up my street (down on his luck old person with demons and difficult family relationships). After a couple of disappointments this year, i needed a good one and this was it. Theatre wasn’t full and was able to move to the front row in the second half. The audience reaction was mixed with some people standing and clapping and others who looked like they couldn’t wait to leave.

Interesting- I’m the opposite lol - I never felt like it was dragging, and I thought that the dialogue was spontaneous and natural. I read in the programme that a few elements of this are based on real life people the writer knew (knows?) Only thing was I am sure I missed out on bits and pieces as the accent was strong and I’m not a native speaker. I haven’t seen anything else by this writer.
Keen to see what the press makes of it.

I like this a lot. Sapani's charisma and sheer presence really makes this work. Lots of interesting pieces in the themes, the conversation with the two current NYPD officers is so loaded and a swerve into magical realism in the second act really drives things along.

Lots of offers around which is a bit of a shame, well worth picking up a ticket.

Normally, when you see “Pulitzer Prize”, it translates as it travels across the pond, to mean “avoid”.

Not sure why this is, but it routinely seems to be the case.

BRAC is a good, not great play.

But still, beware the Pulitzer Priiiiiiiize.

And new additions:

www.theguardian.com/stage/article/2024/may/16/english-review-sanaz-toossi-pulitzer-the-other-place-stratford

Saw this at Thursday's matinee and liked it a lot.

Some spoilers follow. . .

Its got a lot of entertaining elements: Danny Sapani being gruff, twists and turns every 15 minutes, unpredictable dramatic confrontations, and therefore it is entertaining.

However, the above elements feel a little Screenwriter 101 in the application, and I found that the other Adly Guergis plays I've seen ("The Last Days of Judas Iscariot," "Jesus Hopped the A Train," and "The Motherf--ker with the Hat) felt less by-the-numbers, more imaginative, so I suspect the Pulitzer for this is a bit like Gary Oldman winning the Oscar for the "Darkest Hour," which felt like career recognition for "Sid and Nancy," "Pr**k up your Ears," and "Meantime" lol.

In any event, Sapani giving gruff is good fun, the twists surprise, and amongst an excellent ensemble, Martins Imhangbe is particularly good as the most real feeling and consistent character, playing Sapani's son.

All in all, I liked this to the tune of 3 and a half stars.

According to the programme, Max Jones has been designing sets since 2001, so I am surprised at how little attention he has paid to the effect of a set on acoustics. The stage is open apart from a bedroom box on wheels, and the bare walls make for a lot of echo when characters speak. I missed a fair bit of the dialogue as a result. I didn't like the aesthetics of the design either, but at least that is a matter of taste rather than function.

Which is all a shame, as I would probably have rated this production higher if I wasn't becoming frustrated at not being able to discern all the words. (I've not had this issue before at the Hampstead.)

The narrative engrosses, but a couple of times the playwright chooses dramatic shock over realism. While it's far from being an awards-worthy play, the author does draw interesting characters, even if their behaviours sometimes stretch credulity.

There is top-class acting from Danny Sapani who keeps you very much on his side in his fight for justice, despite his character's brash manner, and good performances all round from the other six players.

Three stars.

Act 1: 14:35-15:39
Act 2: 16:00-16:52

I also saw it last night. I really liked it but thought something was missing. Writing, acting and directing were good, even very good at times, but I felt that it lacked some punch. I liked it better than Jesus hopped the A train but less than The motherf***er with the hat.

For once in a UK production, the Latinx characters were believable (not so sure about the church's lady Portuguese though). I think for me that was the main problem with Jesus' Young Vic production, I wouldn't belive for a moment that the character was Latin.

Danny Sapani was very good and Martins Imhangbe has great stage presence (reading the notes I realised I saw him in Death of a salesman and Barbershop chronicles).
Tiffany Gray was also great and had a lot of energy. I think her scenes were some of the best in the play.

I enjoyed this too. Warm, believable and touching performance from Danny Sapani, whose stage work I barely knew before Lear, but his casting would sell me a ticket to whatever he does next. I liked the writing too, good mix of humour and grittier subject matter, and well-drawn relationships. Lulu was a bit of a stereotype but very well acted by Tiffany Grey.

Sadly it seems to be another Hampstead play that‘s sold badly. I’m not sure why - surely plenty of theatregoing-types in this area, and right next to a tube station. I think their marketing is poor, but even so, there must be a way for them to tap into local audiences better.

As posters above have said, I don't know why this hasn't sold better - it's a quality production of an award-winning play with a well-known and respected lead actor, director and writer.
Possibly the formerly loyal Hampstead audience was put off by a couple of rough years, but hope they are able to build that back up again.I don't live near, but don't find the journey bad (as kate8 says it is right next to a tube station) and the foyer, etc. are pleasant. We had a really good afternoon.

Don't think there's much wrong with the way this theatre is being run. It's one I always look forward to going to. The staff are welcoming, and I don't think I've regretted seeing a play here, even the ones that didn't work for me.

The main problem is that the loss of funding has meant steep price increases, and that will have an effect on sales, despite being in a wealthy area. People will be pickier.

I'm not able to get to this. But I have to say that I wish I could, not just because I've enjoyed his other plays, but also having read the review in the Catholic liberal weekly The Tablet. Headed 'Miraculous Sacrilege? A cure sure to shock Catholics' and written by Mark Lawson, it draws parallels with Dennis Potter's Brimstone and Treacle, focusing on the shock of Scene 2, Act 1 of Adly Guirgis' play. Lawson says it is a play that explores the boundaries of faith and concludes that 'It is serious about religion, but that seriousness includes the right to offend'.