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Tried and true
'Mark Twain' at People's Light
The year is 1908"“ two years before Mark Twain's death"“ and the author of Huckleberry Finn is delivering a talk in a theater in Malvern, Pennsylvania, in the last stop on his "First Annual Farewell Lecture Tour."
Like Mark Twain Tonight!, Hal Holbrook's acclaimed one-man show of 1967, Wendy Bable's tribute is staged like one of Twain's lectures. But here, the sage of Hannibal, Missouri (Tom Teti) not only addresses the audience but also interacts with two "Advance Men"— funny and likable stagehands (Chris Bresky and Akeem Davis) who help him act out his writings and serve as the butts of his barbs.
In the course of 70 minutes we hear familiar Twain quips about his ego ("I was born humble but quickly got over it") and Ben Franklin ("With a malevolence which is without parallel in history, he would work all day and then sit up nights, studying algebra by the light of a smoldering fire, so that all other boys might have to do that also, or else have Benjamin Franklin thrown up to them").
Whitewashing that fence
For the most part, however, the show consists of Twain reciting his writings as the two Advance Men illustrate them. Not all of the selections are stellar: A short piece about an incompetent musical accompanist at a revival meeting falls flat. But most of the rest of the material is first-rate Twain.
There's the famous scene from Tom Sawyer in which Tom cons his friends into taking over his job of whitewashing a fence; a less familiar but affecting episode from Life on the Mississippi, recounting a harrowing incident from Twain's days as an apprentice on a steamboat; and a spirited dramatization of The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, the 1865 short story that first established Twain as a humorist at the age of 30.
The n-word
Best of all is a segment on Twain's masterpiece, Huckleberry Finn. The book was attacked in its day for coarse language, and remains controversial for its use of the n-word in reference to Jim, the escaped slave. Bable brings all this history out but puts it in context with a performance of one of the book's key chapters, which establishes Huck's deep feelings for Jim despite of what he's been taught about racial supremacy.
Tom Teti's wonderful performance captures the essence of Twain's keen intellect, his cantankerousness and his imperturbability.
Mark Twain: Sacred Cows Make the Best Hamburgers should bring back welcome memories to those who love the great man's work and should offer a fine introduction to Twain for young people who haven't yet discovered him.
Like Mark Twain Tonight!, Hal Holbrook's acclaimed one-man show of 1967, Wendy Bable's tribute is staged like one of Twain's lectures. But here, the sage of Hannibal, Missouri (Tom Teti) not only addresses the audience but also interacts with two "Advance Men"— funny and likable stagehands (Chris Bresky and Akeem Davis) who help him act out his writings and serve as the butts of his barbs.
In the course of 70 minutes we hear familiar Twain quips about his ego ("I was born humble but quickly got over it") and Ben Franklin ("With a malevolence which is without parallel in history, he would work all day and then sit up nights, studying algebra by the light of a smoldering fire, so that all other boys might have to do that also, or else have Benjamin Franklin thrown up to them").
Whitewashing that fence
For the most part, however, the show consists of Twain reciting his writings as the two Advance Men illustrate them. Not all of the selections are stellar: A short piece about an incompetent musical accompanist at a revival meeting falls flat. But most of the rest of the material is first-rate Twain.
There's the famous scene from Tom Sawyer in which Tom cons his friends into taking over his job of whitewashing a fence; a less familiar but affecting episode from Life on the Mississippi, recounting a harrowing incident from Twain's days as an apprentice on a steamboat; and a spirited dramatization of The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, the 1865 short story that first established Twain as a humorist at the age of 30.
The n-word
Best of all is a segment on Twain's masterpiece, Huckleberry Finn. The book was attacked in its day for coarse language, and remains controversial for its use of the n-word in reference to Jim, the escaped slave. Bable brings all this history out but puts it in context with a performance of one of the book's key chapters, which establishes Huck's deep feelings for Jim despite of what he's been taught about racial supremacy.
Tom Teti's wonderful performance captures the essence of Twain's keen intellect, his cantankerousness and his imperturbability.
Mark Twain: Sacred Cows Make the Best Hamburgers should bring back welcome memories to those who love the great man's work and should offer a fine introduction to Twain for young people who haven't yet discovered him.
What, When, Where
Mark Twain: Sacred Cows Make the Best Hamburgers. By Wendy Bable; David Bradley directed. Through November 4, 2012 at People’s Light & Theatre Company, 39 Conestoga Rd., Malvern, Pa. (610) 644-3500 or www.PeoplesLight.org.
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