Photo Credit: Mikki Schaffner
A Pittsburgh diner is caught in the sights of the city’s urban renewal wrecking ball. August Wilson’s Two Trains Running weaves the stories of seven characters’ dreams and challenges via their daily interactions at the diner. Late ’60s soul and R&B music lend the piece authenticity.
Memphis (Raymond Anthony Thomas) owns the diner and fears the city will offer him a price lower than what his place is worth. Having escaped the South, his tenacious sense of pride in his restaurant still gleams even as he recounts how changing times have left his business a shadow of what it once was. His lone employee, Risa (Malkia Stampley), waits tables, cooks and shops for groceries while fending off the playful flirtations of regular customers. She is guarded and never offers her coffee-drinking customers sugar—until they ask.
The entire story pivots on the compassion she offers Hambone, the mentally unstable man who was once offered (and never received) a ham to paint a neighborhood store owner’s fence. Each time he bursts into a scene, his train of thought never veers from obsessing about the ham. Frank Britton’s portrayal of the bearded, stocking-capped man engrossed in his own world is a powerful performance. Even sitting at a table, mumbling to himself, he is a non-stop dynamo barely containing his frustrated rage.
Photo Credit: Mikki Schaffner
To varying degrees, each character’s determination and willingness to take a chance is addressed. West (Doug Brown, whose performance recalls the subtlety of Edward G. Robinson) as the financially successful funeral home owner from across the street is willing to offer Memphis a conservative price on the diner. The bookie who runs a numbers game from the diner’s pay phone offers another chance every day, for a price. The perspicacious regular who occupies the corner booth plays dominoes and advises everyone to cast their fate to the local fortune teller.
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Yet, the biggest winner of all may be Sterling (Chiké Johnson). Recently out of jail, his spirit never allows him to quit looking for opportunities for work, or inspiration at a Malcolm X rally. His pursuit of Risa ultimately offers hope for a future. Directed by Timothy Douglas, The Rep’s Two Trains Running is in engrossing slice-of-life drama.
Through May 12 at Quadracci Powerhouse, 108 E. Wells St. For tickets, visit milwaukeerep.com or call 414-224-9490.
