Hal Holbrook Tickets

While some of the material was very entertaining, Holbrook repeated multiple skits.

I have had the pleasure of seeing Hal Holbrook as Mark Twain twice before and even met the man and chatted with him on a different occasion, so I was looking forward to seeing him again with the backdrop of this, most recent, election. To say I was disappointed would be a gross understatement. It was painful and heart-wrenching to see Hal fumble his presentation, frequently repeat himself, lose his place (even as he attempted to review his notes) and have extended periods of silence as he seemingly tried to gather his thoughts. It was a shame to see him in obvious decline. We couldn't stand to watch any after the intermission, as it would have been too painful, so we left at intermission as did a significant number of others. The audience is to be complimented as they were patient and understanding, even as they, too, were obviously disappointed.

Classic. 2 time to see event live. Age catching up a little but if you love Twain it's a great treat .

We were close to the stage. No one could understand Mr. Holbrook. The sound was awful for this type of performance. We spoke with someone during intermission who assured us the hall was acoustically perfect. When we left, we heard many folks complaining about spending good money, only to have to strain to hear. It was an honor seeing Mr. Holbrook. There were several long pauses throughout the performance, which we attributed to his age. I wish we could have heard. The audience respectfully gave Mr. Holbrook a standing ovation.

My third time seeing this amazing performer. He has so many stories in his repertoire that it's always new. Even in his 90s he has truly grown into this iconic role. Not to be missed! I would loved to have been able to take a couple photos of the performance, but again, this was not permitted.

Slightly troubling as it is to write this, we felt like Mr. Holbrook may be well into the sunset years of his Mark Twain performance. Why? It's certainly not his ability to "channel" a Twain essence (he still has that down pat), but there was a lack of edge and wit. While the first act did elicit a few healthy laughs from us, the second act dragged. We were glad we went just so we can say that we saw this American classic, but from a purely entertainment standpoint, we left the auditorium feeling generally underwhelmed.

Hal Holbrook's performance as Mark Twain was fantastic. I was truly entertained and would recommend anyone to see this performance.

This was the worst performance that my husband and i have ever seen. We had excellent seats (2nd row), so we should have been able to thoroughly enjoy this show. Unfortunately, we were just so sorry for Mr. Holbrook. He, sadly, is showing his age, lack of stamina, and inability to perform at a reasonable level of expertise. It was difficult to hear and understand his presentation and he appeared to be stumbling on his words and/or forgot his lines. During the second part of the show, Mr. Holbrook, to our dismay, had dribble coming down into his mustache from his nose. We were terribly embarrassed for him, as he didn't realize what was going on. Had it been a less respected actor, I'm sure there would have been laughter from the audience. It was so very sad. In looking at past reviews, he generally had a "Recommended" rating, with some "poor", reviews, especially in the last two years. Unfortunately, I looked at the overall reviews, when booking this performance. Overall, this show was a waste of money and we're very upset that the venue was just as naive about the performance level. I hope that no one else feels the way we did, out of respect for a once great actor and performer..

Mr. Holbrook was impressive. I wasn't sure what I was expecting, maybe a bit more about Mark Twain, or more of his material presented. It was a good show overall and I really enjoyed it.

Sadly, with all due respect, I was uncomfortable watching the accomplished Hal Holbrook as Mark Twain a few evenings ago. I found myself wondering if he was acting as Mr. Twain or having his own memory or health issues on stage. Hal Holbrook is certainly a legend with his characterization of Mark Twain and indeed he is to be commended for his acting caraeer and sheer knowledge of Mr. Twain and his anecdotes. Hal Holbrook received a standing ovation after his performance (myself included), but for me, it was to honor the man, not the performance.

I have seen him before and it was a wonderful experience. This evening, Jan. 30, 2016, was a disappointment. Mr. Holbrook was definitely showing his age. He forgot lines and in the first half spent too much time on the politics of the time. Even though relevant for today, it was too serious and far too long. In the past when I saw him he was sharp and was so quick with Mark Twainisms that I forgot he was Hal Holbrook. In the second half he showed his chops as Jim and Huck telling the tale of Huckleberry Finn. Again, it took up most of the second half. Sadly only about 20% of the evening was Mark Twain's humor. I missed that.

The performance was hard for me to follow. It drug at a few points but I was not sure if Hal Holbrook (Mark Twain) planned it that way or not.

Hal Holbrook IS Mark Twain! Wonderful, delightful performance.

When I heard Hal Holbrook was coming to Boise for this show, I jumped at the chance to buy tickets. Wish I had read some attendee reviews before doing so. While I much admire Mr. Holbrook,, his long and illustrious career, and his great talent, I think those of us who find the price of 2 tickets to his current show a significant investment are being cheated. His performance was halting, with long pauses that actually began to worry me. I was prepared to expect less energy than I would from a man of younger years, but it became quite uncomfortable to watch. His delivery was, at times, difficult to understand, even making allowances for speaking 'in character.' And while I consider myself very involved politically, his choice of Twain's political commentaries, though wonderfully apt, went on way too long, to the point of becoming repetitive. A greater variety of Twain's humor would have been better appreciated by me. I applaud Mr. Holbrook for his tenacity and his reluctance to bid farewell to his life's calling, but I think his fans would be better served if he called it a day regarding stage performances and let them rely on the DVD of his 1967 performance of Twain. I imagine professional reviewers would be loathe to admit how past his prime he now is, since he is such an institution, but sadly, it's the truth. Yes, I'll be thrilled to be as active and game as he is if I'm lucky enough to reach 91, But I won't be charging admission.

I've seen Hal Holbrook do Mark Twain three times over the years, and he's been great every time. His ability to stitch together Twain's writings into coherent remarks that echo what's going on today is unparalleled. And because Twain was such a magnificent writer, it's all hilariously funny. I highly recommend this show. Holbrook is now about 90, so don't wait if you get a chance to see him.

Mark Twain lived from 1835 - 1910. His writings, observations and musings are not only funny but also relevant today and very profound. I loved it. And that Hal Holbrook turns 91 this month makes it all so much more amazing. We should all be so lucky!

Great performance! Hal's age shows --not quite as dynamic as past performances. Still great--funny, thoughtful. Twain's thoughts on politics, religion, culture are relevant today

I had seen this show 16 years ago and loved it at that time. Last Saturday was just as good as 16 years ago. Mark Twain is just as relevant today as he was in his own day. The show provided a lot of laughter, some very serious moments and sad moments. Seeing this show reminds me that I need to read Mark Twain again. Hal Holbrook at age 90 is an American icon. Seeing him perform Mark Twain again Saturday night was very inspiring. I would recommend Mark Twain Tonight to I meet.

With all of the material Holbrook had, he spent the majority of the evening tearing down God and blaming conservatives for the terrible shape the liberals have put us in. I have read a lot of Mark Twain and know his views were skewed one way or another which never bothered me. We paid to have an enjoyable evening, not a political diatribe.

There was much more political commentary than humor in this performance. I hope the bumbling, long pauses and frequent reference to notes on the lectern was part of the act.