Mark Twain Himself

Playing to a small crowd in the Planter's Barn Theater in Hannibal, Missouri (Mark Twain's childhood home), actor and writer Richard Garey brings to life the writings and witticisms of the great Samuel Clemens in this one-man play that features a number of comic zingers (a friend once told Twain that "it's a shame Bill's money is tainted." "Yes," Twain replied, "it taint yours, and it taint mine, and that is a shame!"), as well as longer, often more poignant pieces. One of the latter revolves around Clemens' visit to the pre-state Hawaiian islands, where he described how the “progress” of U.S. occupancy--bringing to native Hawaiians a self-consciousness of dress, the capitalist work ethic, and taxation--was having devastating effects. Garey summarizes Twain's views: “We weren't content to be miserable in the U.S., but had to export it to the rest of the world to make them as miserable as we were.” The program concludes with an interview of Garey, who has been performing some version of this show for 25 years (he continues to study Twain, adding and subtracting material to keep the presentations fresh). Although the high-definition shot video is crisp and excellent, this single camera-shot stage show can be a little monotonous (a second camera, allowing for close-ups from a different perspective, would have really helped). Still, this entry in the Discoveries…America: Special Edition series is sure to be appreciated by Twain fans, and should therefore be considered a strong optional purchase. [Note: also newly available in the series is Pioneer Auto Show.] Aud: P. (C. Block)