The Michigan Daily-Tuesday, November 10, 1981-Page 7
Holbrook recreates Twain wit

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By Dave Paton
H AL HOLBROOK'S stage inter-
pretation of Mark Twain has been
called the most successful otie-man
production in the history of the
American theater. Last weekend,
Holbrook displayed the intelligence and
easy stage presence at the Michigan
Theatre that has earned him such
raves. The two-night stand of Mark
Twain Tonight! was an expected-and
enjoyable-Success-.
Twenty-seven years have deepened
and fleshed out Holbrook's Twain per-
sona. Decked out in the characteristic
linen suit and made up to look enough
like Twain without being a 3-
dimensional photograph, he stalked the
floor restlessly, gesturing with his
cigar. Set with a lectern; end table, and
easy chair, the stage was ready for
what proved to be an enlightening jour-.
ney to the America of another time.
The key to the strength of Mark
Twain Tonight! is Holbrook's abs jute
familiarity with his role. The show
breathed confidence-Holbrook was
able to convince the audience of his
credibility as Twain. We were able to
dispense with the thought of an, actor
playing Twain, and were able to con-
centrate on the material itself. The
material was as broad and American as
the author; Holbrook has researched
Twain's books, and he discussed sub-
jects which retain all of their freshness
today, froir politics to religion, to ac-
cident ,insurance.
During the first half of the show,
Holbrook 'concentrated on Twain'§
broadly humourous, anecdotal side.
Selections such as "My Trained
Presbyterian Conscience" documented
Twain's celebrated religious am-
bjvalence. The presentation of his
deeply sarcastic attitude toward the old
Southern attachment to honor, which
didn't always coincide with the
religious, was convincing and striking.
-Holbrook has 57 Twain selections in.
his repertoire to choose from, and Sun-'
day night he picked the more pungent
ones. The show covered issues of con-
siderable social importance, but
*Holbrook liberally displayed the stan-
dup comedian in him-as Twain had
done. His comic timing was sharp,
drawing laughter easily.
After the intermission, which
0 Holbrook-still in character as
Twain-claimed the audience needed
as much as he did, the tenor of the show
changed. Where in the first half he had
centered mainly on selections concer-
ning Twain's boyhood and his adult
travels into the West, Holbrook took on
longer stories of a more caustic nature
in the second part.

Hise reading from Huckleberry Finn
"was electrifying; Holbrook's transfor-
mation from the old, knowledgeable
cynic to the outcast Missouriboy was
complete and effective. He chose the
section in which Huck, appalled by his
"immorality" in collaborating on his
river journey with the escaped slave
Jim, begins to row their canoeinto a'
river town to turn him in. Before he can
get there, he's stopped by an'gry white
men in another boat who roughly ask
him if he has a black man on the raft.
Huck confronted with a choice between
his oLvn moral sense and that of the an-
te-bellum South, saves Jimh by lying to
the men. Holbrook is marvelous here,
standing center stage with his head
bowed and shoulders hunched as if
trying to hide from the moral impact of
what has happened, drawling his wor-
ds in a high-pitched, halting voice.
As in many other parts of the show,
the audience's laughter was quick and
often a little nervous. Holbrook made the
audience aware of the misplaced social
ideal which Huck must paradoxically
ignore to be moral.
Warming to his task as critic of
humanity, Holbrook's Twain jibed at
several historical events: The Great
Flood was an unfinished job,. because
Noah got away. And on God's view of
creation, "Man is His favorite-after
the housefly.'"- Again, the caustic quips
drew laughter in spite of itself.
The second part of the show didn't of-
fer the same basic, rib-tickling humor
of the first. But as a certain dramatic
skill began to permeate Holbrook's
routine, the emotional level, grew
deeper and more affecting. He capped
the program with "Sunrise. on the
Mississippi," Twain's description of his
experience as a riverboat pilot taken
from Life on the Mississippi. Silence
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fell as Holbrook described the sunrise
over the river with a tenderness and
lyricism displayed at no other time in
the show; he revealed, finally, the great
kindness and nobility of heart that
Mark Twain was capable of at his best.
"I was the only unfettered and in-
dependent human being on earth," he
said wistfully, describing the scene as
"one of the fairest and softest sights
imaginable." The injured, resigned
tone in which Holbrook acknowledged
the passing away of steamboats on the
river at the end of his story was perhaps
the finest moment of the sh6w. Soon af-
ter, he announced, "It's time to go,"
and left the stage to warm and
sustained applause.

Hal Holbrook's Twain is as good as it
is because he has a clear understanding
of the making of humor. The elements
which comprise humor can also com-
prise tragedy-it's a thin line between
the two. He has a grip on Twain's black
wit and ability to place important social
issues in externally comic frameworks.
The effect is unsettling at times; it's
hard to know when to laugh.
Holbrook comes across as a totally
reliable Twain source-now gruff and
humorous, then a little Missouri boy,
then scaldingly critical of man and the
state of affairs he's gotten himself into.
If through understanding lies the way to
comedy, Holbrook's Twain was a great
guide.

Q.: Every time t try to contact Health Service by
phone, l'either get a busy signal, get put on hold, or
am cut off entirely. Are you doing anything to Im-
prove your telephone system so students can reach
Health Service when we need to?
A.: Yes. We are setting up a -new automatic
answering system that is designed to handle
incoming calls efficiently and with a ,mini-
mum of delay. This should be in lace within
the next week or so. Our apologies to all
students who have been inconvenienced in
the past-thanks for being patient with us!
Assuming that our phone system will soon be
functioning perfectly, here are some important
phone numbers you may need to use:
Medical Clinics-764-8325 (appointmets
Emergencies-764-8347 (before midnight)
- 764-7396 (after midnight)*
VD Infbrmation-763-4511
INFO HOTLINE-764-8324
* The infirmary nurse will handle your call. She can give you
assistance over the phone, though she will not be able to pro-
vide direct care for the problem.

FSCHERQ
HARDWARE ae
HOUSEWARES.
&SPORT
CENTER
WE RENT TOOLS
WE FIX WIDGETS
221 E. WASHINGTON AT FIFTH AVE./769-4210

HEAL TI!SERVIC&.

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Call or write for more informa-
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