A White Man's Guide to Rikers Island NYC Reviews and Tickets

80%

(89 Reviews)

Positive

88%

Mixed

12%

Negative

Members say

Great acting, Thought-provoking, Absorbing, Relevant, Intense

About the Show

Based on a true story. An account of a privileged white man's time at Rikers Island.

After a bad decision and a tragic twist of fate, a white man from an affluent, New Jersey town ends up in Rikers Island. Completely out of his element, he struggles to navigate his way through the penal system in the company of his cellmates, a religious fanatic, a hardened drug dealer, and a transgender junkie. In addition to the jail politics, he must reconcile the need to fight for his survival with the guilt that consumes his every waking hour.

Member Reviews (89)

Thought-provoking, Clever, Great acting, Great writing

See it if you appreciate a good one man show, like good story telling, enjoy a good socio/polical play, enjoy light hearted dramadies.

Don't see it if You don't like shows about prison, socio/political shows, one man shows, off-broadway shows, basic technical production. Read more

Tiny theater, Slow, Unfulfilled promise, Well-intentioned

See it if you enjoy I-was-there narratives, this one abt life in Rikers decades ago. Strg reminder never to drive drunk. One man play w lots of chars.

Don't see it if you want a searing indictmt of current prison sys. Wh privil angle isn't well-explored. Acting/staging a bit clunky. Humor often falls flat.

Funny, Great acting, Intelligent, Thought-provoking, Ambitious

See it if If you want to see a true story about a person who was incarcerated in rikers island.

Don't see it if If you are not interested in a show that deals with incarceration. The white privilege comments get old after a while.

Profound, Relevant, Great acting, Thought-provoking, Absorbing

See it if you want a true story of Rikers Island introduced and closed by the jailed actor, turned writer with a demanding performance by C.C. Stewart

Don't see it if you do not like one-person monologues where the actor plays multiple characters or you cannot imagine the setting from a nearly bare set.

Great performance, Thought-provoking, Educational, Clever, Absorbing

See it if intense monologs on series subjects appeal. Both actors are great communicators with a true story that exemplifies significant issues.

Don't see it if you are looking for a light entertainment. Lots to think about here.

Slow, Intense, Interesting, Lacking, Earnest

See it if u want an engaging glimpse into a remote world (I hope) of life behind bars thru the eyes of a "privileged" white guy who made a fatal error

Don't see it if you expect real profundity on the topics of racial injustice, inherent white privilege, survivalism, or the state of the prison system. Read more

Slow, Resonant, Thought-provoking, Edgy, Disappointing

See it if Roy's youthful experience in Rikers prison makes for a potent drama & powerful indictment of white privilege Quasi-humor softens didacticism

Don't see it if Drama's power is undercut by Stewart's flat, strident performance as young Rich who's unable to bring the needed emotional depth to the part

Thought-provoking, Intense, Absorbing

See it if Drunken night and bad choices force an actor to navigate a perch in legal system. Multi-roled peek at life none will otherwise experience.

Don't see it if Playwright assumes birthright streamlines his hierarchal perch. Foolhardy is he to assume the same birthright behind incarceration's walls.

Critic Reviews (7)

For a previous production

“Racial injustice is explored in the confessional A ‘WHITE MAN'S GUIDE TO RIKER'S ISLAND’ at The Producer's Club”
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For a previous production

"'White Man's Guide to Rikers Island' transports the audience from the privilege and prominence of a New Jersey golf club to the cacophony and brutality of New York's Rikers Island prison."
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For a previous production

"The vividly written text offers a starkly revealing view of realities from which most of us are protected…I'm betting that you'll hang on every word. You'll also be left with some ugly truths that are impossible to dismiss."
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For a previous production

"Connor Chase Stewart is enthralling as a young man serving a prison sentence for a drunk driving killing in this searing and dynamically presented drama. The script is a canny blend of finely sculpted autobiography and documentary facts cohesively shaped into a compelling narrative."
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For a previous production

"'[In] A White Man's Guide to Riker's Island,' which in name alone already sends a jolt of electric fear through most of us, we meet young Rich, impeccably played by Connor Chase Stewart, a curly-haired, bright-eyed, earnest young man with an amazingly promising future ahead of him."
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For a previous production

"Playwrights Roy and Webb never lose site of the significance of the young Richard's crime. The ‘Guide’ is not about claiming innocence. It is about Richard's sense of entitlement. His constant refrains, his mantas are: ‘I don't belong here.’ ‘I'm not like these guys.’ I’m better than this.’...Remorse and rehabilitation get lost on mere regret and denial."
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For a previous production

"Stewart navigates the various emotions skillfully: apprehension, worry, crushing disappointment, considerable arrogance, and an ultimate ruefulness. It's a classic fish-out-of-water story. Initially, it's hard to feel sympathy for a brash and privileged white brat, but the fresh-faced Stewart holds one's interest."
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