Emmy Award winning actor and 2025 Theater Hall of Fame inductee Richard Thomas will bring the legendary one-man show “Richard Thomas in Mark Twain Tonight!” to the Lutcher Theater for the Performing Arts on Tuesday, Jan. 20, at 7 p.m. This special engagement offers audiences in Southeast Texas and Southwest Louisiana a rare opportunity to experience a celebrated theatrical classic performed live in an intimate setting.
Best known for his iconic role as John-Boy Walton on “The Waltons,” Thomas has captivated audiences for decades across television, film and Broadway. In “Mark Twain Tonight,” Thomas brings to life what “The New York Times” famously called “the nation’s one true comic genius.” The show was written and originally performed by the late Hal Holbrook, whose portrayal of Twain earned worldwide acclaim for more than six decades.
Thomas was most recently seen on Broadway in “Our Town,” on national tour as Atticus Finch in “To Kill a Mockingbird” and on Netflix’s hit series “Ozark.” His distinguished career and enduring popularity make this performance a must-see theatrical event.
“We are thrilled to welcome Richard Thomas to the Lutcher Theater with this extraordinary production,” said Lynae Sanford, executive director of the Lutcher Theater. “This show is a true theatrical treasure, and having Richard Thomas, an artist of such depth and distinction, bring this iconic work to our stage is a rare and exciting opportunity for our community.”
Samuel Langhorne Clemens was born in 1835 and worked as a steamboat pilot along the Mississippi River. He then created the pen name of “Mark Twain,” which was a river term meaning two fathoms deep (safe water for boats). He went on to become the “Father of American Literature” for his distinctive voice capturing 19th-century American life. His writing style was about everyday people – kids, travelers, farmers, and outcasts – giving readers an honest, sometimes uncomfortable look at America.
Twain’s novels include “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876)” and its sequel, “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884),” with the latter often called the “Great American Novel.” He also wrote “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (1889)” and “Pudd’nhead Wilson (1894).”
The novelist Ernest Hemingway claimed that “All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn.”
Holbrook started playing Twain at age 29 and retired from the role at 92, making it one of the longest-running one-man shows in history.
Early in his academic career, Holbrook developed a project based on the writings of Twain, and was seen by TV host Ed Sullivan, who featured him on his show on Feb. 12, 1956. As a result of this exposure, Holbrook was able to bring his one-man show to off-Broadway in 1959, where it was recorded by Columbia Records. He subsequently took it to Broadway in 1966, for which he received a Tony, and again in 1977 and 2005. In 1967, it was also seen as a CBS-TV special.
Thomas took over the iconic role from the late Holbrook and is the first and only actor authorized by Holbrook’s estate to perform it. Thomas transforms into Twain – white suit, wild hair, cigar and all – and performs Twain’s speeches, essays, humor, and observations on life, politics, and human nature. It’s not a biography – it’s Twain “live on stage,” telling stories and jokes as if he were still alive.
His portrayal has been praised because he captures Twain’s voice, timing and warmth by balancing humor with sharp social commentary that makes Twain feel human and approachable – not just a historical figure.
“Richard Thomas In Mark Twain Tonight!” is a witty, insightful and laugh-out-loud journey through Twain’s observations on politics, human nature and American life. Praised by “Time Magazine” as “uproariously funny” and “pungently wise,” the production has been cheered by millions around the world.
Tickets are $48-$108 and can be purchased online at lutcher.org, by phone at (409) 886-5535 or the Lutcher Theater box office at 707 Main Ave. in downtown Orange.