Mark Twain Tonight!

One of the books I received for Christmas was a Mark Twain biography, by Ron Chernow, that I've had my eye on for a while. I have not started it yet, but I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments if you have read it.

However, I did recently get to enjoy an evening with Mark Twain at my local theater. Mark Twain Tonight!, featuring actor Richard Thomas, offering an acclaimed performance bringing the wit of Mark Twain to the stage.

I saw this show years ago when the amazing Hal Holbrook was still performing it. Written, and originally performed by Holbrook for more than 63 years, Thomas is the first and only actor authorized to perform the play since the original.

If you don't know anything about it, the show was designed to give a dramatic recitation selected from several of Twain's writings, with an emphasis on the comic ones. The material changes slightly and periodically to highlight and match Twain's original work with the location and social climate of the time in which the show is performed.  

I was worried I would not be able to enjoy this show because I had loved the Holbrooks version so much. More than 2300 performances as Twain, Holbrook mastered embodying the author in what may very well be the longest running show in theater history. It was difficult to imagine anyone else doing this show. Yet Thomas does an amazing job continuing this role. It's so wonderful to see a new generation enjoying the material.

Developed in a Greenwich Village nightclub in 1956, it landed on the "Ed Sullivan" show; Holbrook opened off-Broadway in 1959 to rave reviews; and in 1960 The State Department sent his Mark Twain to Europe. In 1966 he won a Tony Award and in 1967 CBS aired a 90-minute special of the show which was seen by 30 million people. When he decided in 2017 to retire the show, his first instinct was to thank the people who came to see him throughout the years. They kept him going. The Mark Twain Tonight! Trust was set up to continue Hal’s legacy with Mark Twain.

Thomas is the first actor authorized by the estate Trust to perform Holbrook's one-man show since Holbrook's passing. According to the Trust, the two men had a warm and supportive relationship. Holbrook's estate is said to have initiated contact with Thomas to revive the show due to their positive connection in the past.

"Every time I go out there, I try to honor both of them," Thomas said of Holbrook and Twain. "I'm very humbled..."

If you're curious, you can find many interviews with first Holbrook, and later Thomas, about this show. You can also find clips of each man in that respective role.

How about you? Are you a Mark Twain fan? Have you seen either man in this role?