It’s high time you made the acquaintance of Mark Twain again. I'm sure it’s been years or even decades since you smiled in his direction. Here’s your BIG chance.
Humorist, author, lecturer, essayist, social critic and entrepreneur Samuel Clemens was best known by his pen name Mark Twain and was labeled by William Faulkner “the father of American literature.” While born in Florida, Missouri in 1835, he lived long enough in the state of Connecticut, and died here in 1910 at the age of seventy-four, to be considered an honorary Connecticut son and a true state legacy.
Seventy years ago, in 1954, actor Hal Holbrook first donned the traditional white suit that brought to mind Mark Twain. Since that iconic moment, Holbrook's and Twain's names have been synonymous. Holbrook developed his unique one-man stage show while he was in college: "Mark Twain Tonight," for which he won both a Tony and a Drama Desk Award. Ed Sullivan saw one of his early performances and gave him national exposure. He was even sent by the State Department to Europe to perform. Holbrook has done the role well over 2000 times. As he has aged with this role, one advantage was that make-up was considerably less in later days.
His home in Hartford at 351 Farmington Avenue is a tribute to the memory of this man of letters, a house he designed and built and lived in with his family for seventeen years, from 1874-1891. His beloved wife Olivia gave birth to their three daughters there, Susy, Clara and Jean. In 1927, the house was rescued from demolition and is now a fascinating place stuffed with personal memorabilia. It was here he wrote some of his best known works: “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,” “The Prince and the Pauper,” “Life on the Mississippi,” “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” and “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court.” The Mark Twain House is open Monday – Sunday 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. with guided tours available to 4:15 p.m. For more information, call 860-247-0998 or online at www.MarkTwainHouse.org.
Now there is a new Mark Twain in town clad in a new trademark white suit, as Emmy-award winning actor Richard Thomas assumes this masterpiece role, with wit and wisdom, home spun philosophy and international humor, including excerpts from Twain's most memorable books, with an emphasis on the humorous ones, like "Huckleberry Finn.” Come experience the charm of Mark Twain, as he is brought to life by this talented and versatile actor, who is the only one permitted to perform this tribute to Twain.
Twain is so humble he likes to pay himself compliments. His range of conversational topics hopscotch from cannibals to denigrating politicians, lying to good hearts, Noah to Satan, ghost stories to golden arms, slavery to stretching the truth, and don’t forget the French. Twain won’t. All this is done with Thomas’s bushy eyebrows raised and a knowing wink.
Mark Twain began on the lecture circuit in 1866 when he was so nervous about speaking he asked a trio of friends to be plants in the audience to laugh. He was like a Vaudevillian, with brilliant social commentary, defining the American character. His love of theater served him well as he shared his perceptions about the world from his bottomless reservoir. This national tour for the new Mark Twain is happily beginning in Hartford, his adopted home, and will travel for 18 weeks to 48 cities, with Michael Wilson serving as creative consultant.
You will remember Thomas as John-Boy Walton, as Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird, on Netflix’s Ozark and most recently on Broadway in Our Town. “Mark Twain Tonight” will run at TheaterWorks Hartford, 233 Pearl Street, Hartford until Sunday, August 24. Performances are Tuesday to Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at noon and 5 p.m.,and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. For tickets ($35-55), call TWH at 860-527-7838 or online at twhartford.org. They are truly a hot ticket and selling fast.
Come absorb the down home philosophy and world wide appeal of one of Hartford’s favorite sons as you rediscover why Mark Twain is so beloved and why Richard Thomas is so wonderfully talented in bringing him so delightfully to life. Thomas first saw the production when he was 16. Now he is doing research to make it his own. Come discover for yourself how he hones this fascinating and inspiring persona who enjoyed a “beautifully messy human life:” Mark Twain.
No comments:
Post a Comment