By Kyle Osborne
Playwright August Wilson had already achieved star status by the time of his death in 2005 at the too young age of 60. His cycle of ten plays, one for each decade of the twentieth century, included the celebrated Fences, and introduced theatre goers to his hometown of Pittsburgh—specifically the Hill District—an historic and once thriving African-American community.
In Two Trains Running, currently playing at the Round House Theatre in Bethesda, it’s 1969, and that neighborhood is in the throes of gentrification. Old buildings are coming down to make room for new, more expensive ones, which will displace the residents.
Meanwhile, in a down-on-its-luck diner, owner Memphis (Jefferson A. Russell) is not going quietly. He wants the city to pay him $25,000 dollars for his greasy spoon and he’s not willing to negotiate. It’s a fair though wholly unrealistic sum, but he is unmoved.
We will spend both acts of the play inside this diner which, fortunately, has a very sturdy door; that faded green door will take a beating during the three hour run time, every character announcing his entry by throwing the door open and punctuating his exit with a hearty slam.
Read my full review at: http://www.examiner.com/review/theatre-review-two-trains-running-at-round-house-theatre