"Mark Twain Tonight!”
Fisher Theatre
Detroit, Mich.
Oct. 19, 2025
Mark Twain came to life last weekend when the touring production of Hal Holbrook’s “Mark Twain Tonight!” made a stop at Detroit’s Fisher Theatre. The one-man show starred Emmy Award-winning actor Richard Thomas – “The Waltons’” John-Boy – last seen in Detroit as Atticus Finch in a phenomenal touring production of “To Kill a Mockingbird” in 2024.
The show is essentially a humorous monologue inspired by Twain’s writings, encompassing parts of his life story and reflections on human nature, politics and society overall. Holbrook created and starred in the play on and off for decades. After being seen by Ed Sullivan, he performed the show on Sullivan’s iconic variety show, eventually taking it off-Broadway in 1959 and eventually on Broadway in 1966 – where he received a Tony Award – reviving it in 1977 and 2005. Holbrook’s last performance of his show was in 2017, when he was 91.
Thomas is the first and only actor authorized to perform the play, and rightfully so. His Twain was a delightfully cheeky old man, creaking around the stage recollecting stories and glints of wisdom from his life. Thomas talked for nearly 90 minutes straight without missing a beat. His collection of Twainisms was witty and charming, but dense with intellect and surprise. It demands your full attention – miss a moment, and you’ll miss the joke.
Common themes were the incompetency of Congress and religious hypocrisy, which hit eerily close to home in 2025. The fact that the play was written in 1954 about a man who lived mostly in the 19th century makes you question both human nature and the institutions that govern our lives (and perhaps our afterlives), which have been problematic for far too long.
The most engaging part of the show was when Twain read an excerpt from his best-known novel, “The Adventures of Huckelberry Finn.” It’s been quite a while since I read the book; seeing a bit of the story acted out on stage reminded me why it is such a classic. It was fascinating to listen to a teenage boy grapple with morality, somehow trying to justify the racist “Christian” values he was taught to be believe in with his inner conscience that knew slavery was wrong. Hearing his mental gymnastics as he attempts to reconcile the two shined some light on what we’re experiencing in modern times, although the rough and uneducated Finn eventually lands on the right side of history.
This part of the evening particularly highlighted the range of Thomas’ acting chops. At one point, Thomas was portraying Twain portraying Finn portraying Finn’s father – different accents and mannerisms for each – which was quite impressive.
And man, if eyebrows could talk … Thomas’ cheeky expressions – and abundant facial hair – could be seen and understood almost to the back of the theater and made Twain’s witticisms all the more endearing.
“Mark Twain Tonight!” is smart, funny and charming, executed brilliantly by Thomas. It does ultimately carry an element of sadness, making you question the progression of humankind and if there is any hope for a society based on compassion and kindness.
