By Eden Elizabeth
What a pleasure it was to walk into the beautiful historical Philadelphia Ethical Society building at 1906 Ritttenhouse Square, and actually be greeted by the playwright David S Traub, Jr! David is a Philadelphia-based playwright who was raised in Louisville, Kentucky.
His play, “Train to Essex Station”, is based upon an actual experience of a journey the playwright took from Philadelphia to Essex Junction Vermont. All five scenes take place in the cafe car of an Amtrak train in August of 2002. The play’s action occurs in the duration of 10 hours in a single day.
The cast includes Harley Diamond as Stephen Logan, Sonya Aiko Hearn as Jennifer, Maria Leonetti as Agnes and John Pinto as Jim Byrnes.
The cover of the playbill for “Train to Essex Station”.
Now to the story, which is about strangers becoming friends. A group of four board the train. They’re full of such loneliness — but, by telling their stories they become unstuck.
The play starts with the two gentlemen not making the best first impressions on one another. And, as each woman enters into the scene, they lighten the situation.
The librarian, Jennifer, is not initially impressed by the men, but as Stephen starts to open up, she becomes truly charmed by him.
When Agnes enters, she brings a more crashing energy that is not accepted by the others at first. Then we watch Jim become enamored by her gypsy spirit.
One of my favorite lines in the play was, “So much money moving around, and we are not producing anything.”
This resonated with me because in this delightful play we find out why these people are lonely and how they are coming out of it (if they do). At the conclusion, when it’s just back to the two men, we see them helping each other and no longer feeling alone.
The characters were authentic, although perhaps Agnes could have understood that she was drunk a bit more.
Overall, I found the play funny, charming, and well thought out with stunning and very touching performances by all! I also enjoyed the delightful music used to show the passage of time.
Although this Fringe performance concluded Sept. 13, the Festival itself continues through Sept. 24. Visit Home – Philadelphia Fringe Festival (phillyfringe.org) for details.