Theater Review: Richard Thomas in 'Mark Twain Tonight!' at TheaterWorks Hartford

Review by Connecticut Critics Circle member Nancy Sasso Janis

Emmy-Award winner Richard Thomas has returned to Hartford to begin a national tour of “Mark Twain Tonight!” by Hal Holbrook at TheaterWorks Hartford. This production marks the first national tour of the iconic work since Holbrook’s legendary performances and Thomas is the first and only actor authorized to perform the play since the original.

Holbrook devised the one-person performance piece in which he portrayed Mark Twain delivering a dramatic recitation of a selection of Twain's writings. The Mark Twain Tonight Trust suggests that Holbrook came as close to the early American touring actor as any performer on the modern-day stage in that he spent 63 consecutive years performing this piece over 2,300 times.

The show was developed in a Greenwich Village nightclub in 1956 and opened off-Broadway in 1959. It won the Tony Award in 1966 and the following year, CBS aired a 90-minute special that was viewed by 30 million people.

Now Thomas, beloved for his role as “John Boy Walton,” faithfully brings Mark Twain to life in this well-paced reboot in a way that honors Hartford’s rich literary history. This production marks the eighth show that the actor has done in Hartford.

For three years, the actor gave strong performances as Atticus Finch in the tour of Aaron Sorkin’s “To Kill a Mockingbird.” He previously served as the Honorary Chair of the National Corporate Theatre Fund, a position also held by his predecessor Hal Holbrook.

“I was born modest, but it wore off.” – Mark Twain

Thomas brings the most wonderful facial expressions to his portrayal, playfully using his eyes to express the mirth of the humorist. He changes his voice to portray some of Twain’s beloved characters with ease, even providing his own sound effects for one tale. Thomas has also mastered the well-timed pause that was a signature of Twain’s delivery. That he is able to memorize so much of Twain’s incredible language for this solo performance is impressive.

The actor is able to put together a Twain “set list” from the material that was sent to him by the Trust, looking for the perfect balance for a performance that is not a linear retelling of his life story. (There is an interesting biographical list in the printed program.)

The stories range from humor to pathos, including a reading of a section of “Huckleberry Finn” and a ghost story. Hartford audiences will appreciate the references to the state capitol, where Samuel Langhorne Clemens lived in the early 1870s. There is even a current copy of the Hartford Courant used as a prop. There is plenty of Twain’s biting political humor that is still relevant.

In a post show conversation thanks to the Mark Twain House, we learned that Twain thought of himself as a lecturer. At his first appearance, he planted three friends who possessed loud (and hopefully contagious) laughs. After getting out of his costume, Thomas joined the talk back to express his gratitude to the opening night audience. The humble actor, who joked that he steps into the role at an older age than Holbrook did, truly retains his youthful appearance. He shared the extensive preparation that he has done for this role, reading and rereading biographies and the writings of this “father of American literature.”

Michael Wilson worked with Thomas as creative consultant. Wilson’s collaborations with the actor span more than 20 years, and include “Danton’s Death” in 1992 to the off-Broadway revival of Arthur Miller’s “Incident at Vichy.” The two artists share Hartford Stage as an artistic home. Thomas appeared in the title roles in “Peer Gynt,” “Hamlet” and “Richard III” at Hartford Stage and Wilson served as Artistic Director from 1998 to 2011, producing the late Holbrook in “Our Town” and “Mark Twain Tonight!” in 2012. The highly decorated director holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Hartford.

Brian Prather, an assistant professor of scene design at CCSU, has designed a simple and period appropriate set that works for all of the sections of the 90 minute performance. There are some subtle lighting changes designed by Anthony Pearson to accompany a shift in tone. Sam Fleming has designed the iconic white suit, complete with a pocket watch chain. Luc Verschueren (“Water for Elephants”) provided the Twain wig design.

Thomas is hopeful that families will bring young people to his performances, introducing another generation to the wit and wisdom of Mark Twain. Children should be warned that the N-word is used in the Huck Finn dramatic reading in its historical context.

Preview performances began on Aug. 12, with the press invited to attend the official opening night on Aug. 20. Performances of this limited run ends on Aug. 24. Tickets at twhartford.org. Thomas will be taking this production to 48 cities in 18 weeks through February 24 of next year.

Presented as a limited run of the NETWorks Production tour.

Photos of Richard Thomas by Julieta Cervantes