Mark Twain
We saw Mark Twain Saturday night! And man, did he have some harsh things to say about the state of journalism and politics these days! Oh, he was funny from time to time - got the audience laughing from time to time, but just as often we were so stunned by the raw truth of what he had to say that we were struck dumb. Silent, I mean - though he certainly made us feel DUMB as well.
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“Hal Holbrooke’s going to be in Hannibal, playing Mark Twain!” my sister informed me, with considerable excitement.
“We should go! Beloved Hubby would LOVE to go!”
“Yes, I thought of him as soon as I saw it, and thought, ‘We should go!’”
I was delighted to be able to impart this news to BH. I so rarely get any such information before he does, and so rarely do I get to see him so excited. I did have a moment or two of consternation when I saw he’d blabbed it all over Facebook before I’d managed to secure OUR tickets. But you can’t stop preachers from proclaiming good news when they receive it, and by middle afternoon, I had ordered the last 3 seats that were together in the “Front Center” section.
“Hal Holbrooke has been playing Mark Twain longer than Samuel Clemens did!” BH was happy to inform me.
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The program set the mood right off. We had plenty of time to read it, since we’d arrived a full hour before it started.
NOTE: While Mr. Twain’s selections will come from the complete list provided, we have been unable to pin him down as to which of them he will do. He claims it would cripple his inspiration. However, he has generously conceded to a printed program for the benefit of those who are in distress and wish to fan themselves.
The hall was smaller than I expected (and with larger seats, for which I was grateful). It got very warm. The program made a very nice fan, being of a light weight card stock, rather than simple paper.
I only wished I were not so sleepy! I pulled myself away from dream images of computer screens a couple of times - glanced around to see if anyone were staring at me. Imagine the ignominy of having Mark Twain catch you snoring during his set!
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From the moment he walked out on stage, he was no longer Hal Holbrooke. He WAS Mark Twain. He walked about, he fingered a cigar through the first half, and he talked. We laughed a lot at first, amazed at times how his remarks about the politicians and journalists of his day fit ours so very well. Alarmingly well, if you’d like to know.
He started off with material that I was familiar with, which elicited the expected chuckles from the audience, and even a few belly laughs. There was someone behind us with a very funny laugh, which prompted me to laugh. I rather like that about laughing! So we had a good time.
After intermission (The program read MUSIC: A trombone player was engaged, but is unreliable and should not be expected), he came out smoking that cigar that he’d been fingering the whole first half. The longer he went on, the more serious stuff he got into; more politics and journalism, more indictments of the human race in general, and those institutions in particular. The audience got quieter and quieter, sometimes not knowing quite how to respond.
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He earned the standing ovation he was given, but I think I was not alone in leaving in a more pensive than jubilant mood. He skewered me, me personally, more than once in his ramblings, gave me some rather uncomfortable insights into my own character.
I felt like I had been in the presence of a truly great man. And those uncomfortable insights might, just might, lead me to becoming a better person (no guarantees). Altogether an excellent evening.