Rafael Jordon, Taji Senior, and Postell Pringle Photo by T Charles Erickson

Assassins killed Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. the previous year while Malcolm X and John Kennedy were slain several years before (it is said that Wilson initially set the play in 1968 but moved it to 1969). Memphis (Godfrey L. Simmons Jr.) owns the restaurant which he intends to sell and make some good money. He's from Mississippi and believes he will return to Natchez at some point. He disses his unseen former wife and spews forth words constantly. Simmons Jr. has a slew of lines with he delivers with variety, zest, and fluidity. For the moment, he pushes Risa (Taji Senior) to keep the food coming and the place rolling (Risa is the only woman in the play). Wolf (Postell Pringle) is dressed in dandy get-ups (costume design by Devario Simmons) as he runs numbers and makes calls at a pay telephone. Wolf is part comic, part affect.

Holloway (Jerome Preston Bates), 65 years of age, sits at the same table each day and Risa hands him a daily cup of, one assumes, coffee. Sterling (Rafael Jordan), just out of the penitentiary, has eyes for Risa but she is skeptical of a young man who went to prison for robbing a bank. Sterling is cocky yet compassionate. Hambone (David Jennings) is a man who repeatedly yells, "I want my ham!" One either sympathizes or laughs along with him. Funny as well as poignant, Hambone has but a few words and he pronounces them with alacrity. Everyone roots for him. Finally, West (Jeorge Bennett Watson), proprietor of the funeral home, comes along. West is dressed in a tailored black suit. He misses his late wife and frequently alludes to Prophet Samuel, a story unto itself. All the cast members, without exception, are splendid, convincing and real.

Wilson oftentimes utilizes Pittsburgh's Hill District, from his own youth, for his plays. The restaurant is a gathering place, a larger-than-life interior, a known quantity. Memphis has hopes to cash in since it is currently worth far more than he bought it. You have to wonder what will become of Risa. She previously cut and disfigured portions of her legs to limit her attractiveness, to keep men away. What of Holloway, for whom there isn't a back story? He's a smart, older man whose wardrobe includes creative hats, and he is a creature of routine. Should Memphis succeed with his plan, Holloway has to move on and he says, "You got love and you got death."

August Wilson wrote a play for each decade of the twentieth century. He typically carried a yellow legal pad with him to record observations, for example, while having a meal at a restaurant. During a rehearsal break for Two Trains Running 25 years ago at a New Haven eatery, he waxed on and on with this theatre writer. Every so often, Wilson would take a moment to write something down. Yale Repertory Theatre premiered a significant portion of his cycle of plays including Two Trains Running in 1990. He and his longtime friend and director, Lloyd Richard, often collaborated.

Hartford Stage director Gilbert McCauley moves this lengthy presentation forward so that it never lags. He skillfully moves a number of the characters about. Holloway, at his table, and West are more firmly positioned. Wilson's snappy, colloquial, rich dialogue flourishes whether people are on the move or stationary.

August Wilson's work is engulfing and that is an absolute compliment. His plays are emotional as well as informational–and they are long. Wilson has reams to say and he typically pared down his scripts. Director McCauley and his actors demonstrate pinpoint timing and, in all, fully honor Wilson's talent as a dialogue writer. Two Trains Running is a play without usual plot points and it lacks a conventional dramatic arc. August Wilson's dramatic strengths include his ability to create and shape characters without being heavy-handed. Given all, how do we define this hyper-real piece? Call it a fully enthralling August Wilson play.

Two Trains Running runs through February 16, 2025, at Hartford Stage, 50 Church St., Hartford CT. For tickets and information, please call 860-527-5151 or visit hartfordstage.org.