A review by kungfool
Two Trains Running by August Wilson

4.0

I keep getting struck by the economic desperation of Wilson's plays. His characters either have no money and little opportunity to gain any, or they are cheated and/or exploited out of the little money and opportunity they have. This leads to many of his plays inhabited by hustlers, thieves, and gamblers, characters operating on the economic fringe. Ultimately, the "mentally simple" Hambone symbolizes their economic condition. Cheated out of the payment of a ham for the job of painting a fence, his repetitive "I want my ham, he gonna give me my ham," becomes symbolic, reminding us of a number things. His labor is stolen, not unlike his slave ancestors. He dwells in an economy rigged against him. And perhaps most significantly, much like Boy Willie from the Piano Lesson, he refuses to give up pursuing a just compensation for his labor.

Looking forward to seeing a production of this next summer!