Mark Twain Tonight

"How Solemn and beautiful is the thought that the earliest pioneer of civilization is never the railroad, never the newspaper, never the missionary, but whiskey." Hal Holbrook, veteran actor of stage and screen, brought his character of Mark Twain, based on the great American storyteller, at Texas A&M International University's Fine and Performing Arts Recital Hall. The performance was a part of the University's annual A.R. Sanchez, Sr. lecture series. Holbrook has been performing his one man act for over 50 years now and has won praise for his performance, going as far as winning an Emmy nomination for his televised broadcast on CBS and a Tony award for Best Performance by a Lead Actor in a play. 

Based on the works of the humorous Mark Twain, Mark Twain Tonight focuses heavily, although not entirely, on the comedic aspects of Twain's work. Very little about the actual author is needed to be known to enjoy the show. If you've never read the works of Mark Twain, Holbrook's show keeps you interested and smiling either way. The monologue was very relevant to our modern times, without specifically pointing it out. Topics like religion, politics, the press, and even economics were subject to comedic banter. Holbrook as Twain even goes on to humorously criticize the press by saying, "I was looking for a job, but I didn't want to work, so i became a news reporter." He goes on to bash congress by calling them names by boldly saying "imagine that you are an idiot, now imagine you're in congress...wait, now I'm repeating myself." He compares Republicans and Democrats by ripping at them in comedic fashion. Religion is also verbally and comically abraded, comparing its' claimed truths to the same ones that are believed by a person who has something repeated to him until he believes it.

Even at age 87, Holbrook's lively and comedic performance kept most of it's audience in their seats. There were times where his speech came off slurred and hard to understand, but that seemed to only come up when Holbrook became emotionally driven. Included in the monologue was an excerpt from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, as per usual in Holbrook's act. The setting was a simple one, consisting of a small study and a desk with books piled on and a glass for water. An ashtray for his cigar was present, though he never lights the cigar but uses it as more of a prop. He also had a podium with leaflets piled on, although it's never made clear what these are for. Never breaking character, Holbrook embodied many of the humorous traits of Mark Twain, as well as some of the more serious ones. There was little physicality in his act, but his simple hand gestures and the way he walked around the stage and fiddled with the objects present made his character all the more appealing. As the show concluded, Holbrook received a standing ovation from his audience as his character faded back into history.

The performance was a part of the University's annual A.R. Sanchez Sr. lecture series and was made available by the TAMIU Office for Institutional Advancement in the Sue and Radcliffe Killam Library. This lecture series was presented through by Mr. and Mrs. A.R. Sanchez, Jr. with free admission and limited public seating.

For further information on the A.R. Sanchez Distinguished Lecture Series, contact the Office of the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at 326-2460 or it's offices located in the Lamar Bruni Vergara Science Center, room 301.

(Jose Quezada may be reached at jlqjr2006@dusty.tamiu.edu)