Photo by Joan Marcus

Set in the 1970's - with a very fine set by David Gallo and costumes by Toni-Leslie James that will send you hurtling back in time, this is a story of men on the fringe of life who at the same time are at its very center. These are the men of the Car Service. These are the men who ferry the people who don't own cars and are not serviced by adequate public transportation. Grocery shoppers. Neighbors visiting relatives. People on the way to do no good.

These men lean in and out of this establishment, taking turns answering the payphone. "Car Service" they say and off they go. Even if it is a job they don't want. When that phone rings and you are next in line - you take the work.

Sometimes I think of August Wilson as a composer. The text of his plays comes through as music. Sometimes it is not what people are saying, it is the melody they are creating with their lives. I remember a friend of mine recalled seeing James Earl Jones in Fences and saying that his performance was operatic. His lectures were oratorios.

In the same way, Jitney has moments that are transcendent. In this case however it is not because of one character - but because of this splendid ensemble. These characters are woven into one another's lives. What affects one affects all. So when the rumor arrives that says this part of town is about to be demolished to make room for gentrification, it is an earthquake that shakes them all to their core.

This talented ensemble of actors also includes André Holland as Youngblood, who is currently garnering great acclaim for his silver screen appearance in the Oscar-nominated "Moonlight" and is showing off his acting chops in equal measures on the Broadway stage.

Click here for tickets to August Wilson's Jitney for performances through to March 12, 2017 at Broadway's Samuel J. Friedman Theatre.

- Written by Tulis McCall and edited by Tom Millward