Richard Thomas shines in National Tour of "Mark Twain Tonight!" with a sellout at Hartford TheaterWorks

Richard Thomas pretty much polished off his character arc as John-Boy Walton in 1977, complete with having earned an Emmy for Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 1973. Still, I can't help but wonder if the spirit of that Depression-era lad who aspired to be a writer in TV's The Waltons had somehow manifested itself in Thomas’ portrayal of an elder Mark Twain in Hartford TheaterWorks premiere run of “Mark Twain Tonight!”

Thomas is the first actor to be granted the rights to reprise the one-man show since Hal Holbrook originated the role in 1954, going on to perform the dramatic recitation of Mark Twain’s writings for over six decades. In a post-performance chat with his Hartford audience Wednesday night, Thomas mused how, “never in a million years” did he think he might one day play the role of the Gilded Age’s most celebrated raconteur when he sat in the audience watching Holbrook onstage in 1967.

Thomas was 16 at the time, five years into his own acting career, having already appeared on Broadway at seven years old and then, as a 16-year-old, acting in the soap opera "The Edge of Night." He did not sign a five-year contract with The Waltons until five years later.

Thomas relished starting the National Tour of "Mark Twain Tonight!" in Hartford since both he and the revered 19th Century American author have close ties to the city. Twain wrote his most popular novels while living in his riverboat-shaped mansion on Farmington Avenue from 1874 to 1891. These include The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) , A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1889) and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884).

After Wednesday's performance as Twain this week, Thomas recalled how "Hartford Stage was immensely important for (him) as a theater actor." He has said in the past, "In my life Hartford stands out very clearly as one of the most important places, artistically and creatively." Two years ago over 22,000 Hartford theatergoers saw him portray Atticus Finch in "To Kill a Mockingbird" at the Bushnell.

And while the full house at TheaterWorks - an intimate venue with less than 200 seats- was packed with seasoned theatergoers Tuesday night, Thomas extended a wish about the ensuing 32 city six-month run.

"I hope young people come," said the veteran actor, making a vague reference to how Twain's classic The Adventures of Hucklberry Finn has been disappearing from required high school reading and appearing on banned books lists in the recent past - due to the use of racial slurs and perceived coarse language in the text.

The "Mark Twain Tonight!" script includes excerpts from Huck Finn, among other works by the author. At one point onstage, during a transition from one source to another, Thomas changed the inflection of his narration from that of a cynical septuagenarian author reflecting on his society, to the naive perspective of the author's character Huck, who is confused by racism he encounters. The Huck-voice admitted nervously to lying about his kinship with runaway slave Jim, expecting to be punished and damned if found out. The tone and facial expressions Thomas masterfully mustered up to introduce and segue out of the Huck excerpt relayed Twain-the-writer's disgust with the social mores young Huck must muddle through.

This is just one example of what Thomas hopes a younger audience will be able to experience from the "Mark Twain Tonight!" tour. "Let the young read the books and debate the issues," advocated the actor. The future Thomas', the future Twains, the future John-Boys.

Call Hartford TheaterWorks at (860)577-7838 to inquire about a wait list for tickets for the final performances of Hartford TheaterWorks run of "Mark Twain Tonight,!" through August 24. For information on further stops on the national tour of the show go to twainplay.com