Set in 1969, Two Trains Running is about racial tensions in the Civil Rights era, as argued over by regulars at a soon-to-be-demolished diner, including a waitress, an ex-convict and a 322-year-old sage.

In a decade that held so much promise, the Civil Rights movement does not hold center stage in Wilson’s play, but rather simply a cameo: a rights rally offstage, a short exchange about Malcolm X. Two Trains Running almost solely revolves around one subject: money. The weekly numbers game, the price that Memphis can acquire for his building as the neighborhood gentrifies, and West’s financial success are all topics of conversation. This juxtaposition between the lofty ideals of the sixties and the reality of Black hardship demonstrates Wilson’s genius. His characters anxiously grapple with value: of money, of culture, of rights, of freedom. In Memphis’ own words: “Freedom is heavy. You got to put your shoulder to freedom. Put your shoulder to it and hope your back hold up. And if you around here looking for justice, you got a long wait.