Hal Holbrook bringing renowned Mark Twain performance to Columbus

Hal Holbrook will appear at the Springer Opera House on Feb. 3 in his renowned “Mark Twain Tonight” tribute, the Springer has announced.

The event is to celebrate the new Georgia Repertory Theatre partnership between the Springer and the CSU Department of Theatre. As part of his visit, Holbrook will also conduct a symposium for students in the CSU Department of Theatre and the Springer Theatre Academy.

Winner of the Tony Award, five Emmys and the National Humanities Medal, Holbrook has “All the President’s Men,” “Wall Street,” “Water for Elephants,” “That Evening Sun,” and “The Firm.” Holbrook’s television career includes Emmy Award-winning roles in “Evening Shade” and “Designing Women” (in which he co-starred with his late wife, Dixie Carter) plus episodes of “The Sopranos,” “The West Wing,” “Sons of Anarchy” and “Rectify.”

Holbrook has performed “Mark Twain Tonight” twice before on the historic Springer stage – once in 1989 and again in 2003. Holbrook also volunteered to attend the groundbreaking for the construction of the Dorothy McClure Theatre in 2012 and spoke eloquently that evening on the importance of preserving America’s great historic theatres like the Springer.

“There is no doubt that Holbrook’s “Mark Twain Tonight” is one of the greatest theatrical achievements in theatre history,” Paul Pierce, the Springer’s producing artistic director, said in a release. “We can’t really know what it was like to experience Booth, Bernhardt or Barrymore onstage but Mr. Holbrook is still very much with us and as powerful as ever. This man is a living national treasure and we are honored that he agreed to come to Columbus to help us launch the inaugural season of the Georgia Repertory Theatre partnership.”

Tickets will go on sale to the public at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 4. Regular seats are $75. There are also a limited number of $125 tickets which include a post-show private reception with Holbrook. For more information, call the Springer box office at 706-327-3688.

This story was originally published January 3, 2017 at 2:48 PM with the headline "Hal Holbrook bringing renowned Mark Twain performance to Columbus."