Mark Twain On Tour
Mark Twain On Tour starring Ken Richters celebrates its 35-year anniversary during the 2019-2020 Season! Funny, thought-provoking, and occasionally politically incorrect, the production is based on the life and works of the great American author—with portions of the show localized with the news of the day, is staged as a public lecture by Mark Twain with maximum flexibility and a minimum of technical requirements.
Ken Richters as Mark Twain is a fully structured and scripted production with the opportunity for the veteran actor to ad-lib on local current events throughout. Before each show, Ken Richters scours the region's newspapers looking for what he calls, “grist for Mark Twain's mill.” The result is a unique and memorable evening at the theater. Local issues and politicians are always the target of Twain's caustic wit - and those dignitaries brave enough to be in the audience will most certainly be the subject of a comment or two.
Since 1981, Ken Richters as Mark Twain has been the toast of legitimate theaters throughout the United States and abroad. With over five hours of specially edited material on which to draw, his performance was known for taking on a new direction each time the curtain went up. Whether performing at the famed Lavadia Palace in Yalta, Crimea Ukraine on behalf of the U.S. Department of State; bringing Mark Twain back to The Great Hall at Worcester's Mechanics Hall more than one hundred years after the author's first appearance; a live performance for his latest PBS comedy Mark Twain - America's First Stand-Up Comedian!; or as a visiting scholar presenting a Master Class at the Moscow State University in Russia, Ken's performance maintained an air of spontaneity with every audience, large or small.
“Mark Twain is alive and well and traveling the world with Ken Richters!” - Los Angeles Times
The award-winning production was first brought to national acclaim following a sold-out performance in Washington, D.C. Television and radio newscasts from across the country had great fun covering Mark Twain's salty comments to members of the United States Congress. Since that time, Ken Richters as Mark Twain has been presented more than 1500 times in all 50 states, Canada, and throughout Europe. Ken Richters as Mark Twain shared the stage with the late great American author, Tom Wolfe, as part of Harper's Magazine 150th Anniversary Gala celebration, as well as providing the voice of Twain for the controversial documentary series Culture Shock for PBS.
“Mark Twain is America’s beloved author, wit, humorist, curmudgeon, satirist, and lecturer. Ken Richters’ interpretation is masterful.” - Washington POST Magazine
Ken's surprise performance as Twain was credited, by the executive director of the Commission on Presidential Debates, as one of the leading factors in choosing his hometown of Hartford, Connecticut as the site of one of that years two U.S. Presidential Debates. In addition, he has appeared as Mark Twain in print and TV commercials for AT&T and United Technologies.