Stage: Mark Twain Tonight!

You're so Twain

By Barbara Scherzer

For thespian Hal Holbrook, 79, his passionate theatrical masterpiece--Mark Twain Tonight!--began as a college honors project. More than a Twain impressionist, Holbrook was fascinated by the beloved American humorist's canny cultural observations, so he took to personally researching his subject. In 1959, Holbrook was discovered performing Twain off-Broadway by the top talent seeker of the time, Ed Sullivan.

Although award-winning movie and television work followed, Holbrook never stopped touring as Twain. Believed to be the longest-running theatrical show in this country, Holbrook recently brought his 50th anniversary Twain tour to UNLV. There the actor delivered an eloquent one-man show that evoked laughter while provoking a cogent thought or two.

Dressed in an off-white suit, Holbrook performs on a simple set of a chair, a table and a lectern. There is no set script. The essays and prose are selected spontaneously onstage from more than 16 hours worth of material that the actor has culled and committed to memory. These days, Holbrook performs Twain's words as his mouthpiece on current events.

After lighting his cigar, Holbrook/Twain begins his mantra: that politicians never reform, except on the eve of an election. He speaks of one politico who somehow managed to change. His secret was simple. First he died, then he reformed. In another piece, Twain, as a former newsman, dryly speaks of how entertaining it is to report on Congress. One day, they passed a bill to construct a dam where there was no water. Upon learning this fact, they next investigated the possibility of building a river to save the dam.

While referencing Washington, D.C., as a stud farm for every jackass in the country, Twain asks us to pretend that we are idiots. Next, imagine that we are members of Congress. "Wait a minute, I'm repeating myself," he roars.

During his two-hour show, Holbrook eschews the subject of war, but brings to life essays on cats, money and the power of the press. A segment from Twain's novel Huckleberry Finn works well as Holbrook becomes all of the characters. But it might have been more compelling theater to perform one of his less familiar works instead.

After five decades, Hal Holbrook is the quintessential Mark Twain. In a multilayered portrayal, which entertains while engaging the brain, there is a bonus: People may start to question their closely held opinions.