Twain actually wrote instructions on how to elicit laughter from silence and the psychology that drives it. Anyone interested in the subject might also find a useful reference in Piddington’s “The Psychology of Laughter” (Gamut Press 1963). The first time I used the methods which Twain described and Holbrook has mastered was a leap of faith. But it works every time. On Apr 13, 2015, at 12:16 PM, Hal Bush <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Folks, in the spirit of the many reviews of Twain performance gracing our > list recently-- > > A brief review of MT Tonight, @ UMSL in St. Louis on Saturday April 11: > > The show was spectacular. I've actually never seen any one-person show, > and until Saturday had never seen Hal Holbrook's performance of MT > Tonight. > > To cut to the chase: it was spellbinding; and the talent to pull that off > is really off the charts. Imagine doing that at 90!! I hope you will all > recognize my gratitude and compliments to Hal. It was very cool hearing > many famous passages delivered from a walking and talking near-version of > Twain. > > In particular I was mesmerized by Hal's use of the moments of silence -- > including the Jim Blaine tale when the actor pretends to fall asleep. The > way he takes on the character fully is really quite a spectacle. The > audience seems uncertain what exactly is happening. There is much laughter > as confused observers squirm in their seats. The dramatization of Huck > Finn (the feud scenes with Grangerfords & Shepherdsons) was quite long but > extremely powerful. > > All in all, I suspect I will remember the performance for a very long time, > and I am grateful I made the time and arrangements to see it. Highly > recommended! > > -hb > > -- > Prof. Harold K. Bush > Professor of English > 3800 Lindell > Saint Louis University > St. Louis, MO 63108 > 314-977-3616 (w); 314-771-6795 (h) > <www.slu.edu/x23809.xml> Alan Kitty 908-310-2117 [log in to unmask] www.marktwainslaststand.com