as Mark Twain | Make-Up Photos | Show Photos | Video

as Mark Twain
>> www.godsfoolontour.com
 
MARK TWAIN: GOD'S FOOL is the new comedy based on veteran character actor Ken Richters' award-winning performance as MARK TWAIN. On the evening of April 21, 1910, the world's most famous author and humorist finds himself at the gates of Heaven, defending his life. Still a little confused about what has happened, the old man (along with the audience) sees his life flash before his eyes. It is only after being greeted by the voice of a humorless bureaucrat guarding Heaven - and being reminded he once said, "Go to Heaven for the climate, Hell for the company!" does Twain realize he might be in for a long night. Funny, thought-provoking, and occasionally politically incorrect, the production is based on the life and works of Mark Twain.   
 
Since 1981, "Ken Richters as Mark Twain On Tour" 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 he was bringing Mark Twain to THE GREAT HALL at Worcester's MECHANICS HALL more than one hundred years after the author's first appearance, performing for an intimate live in-studio for his latest PBS comedy special - MARK TWAIN, AMERICA'S FIRST STAND-UP COMEDIAN!, or on international tour, Ken's performance maintained an air of spontaneity with every audience, large or small.

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 1000 times in all 50 states, Canada, and Europe.
 
The millennium found Ken Richters as Mark Twain sharing the stage with another great American author, TOM WOLFE, as part of HARPER'S MAGAZINE 150th ANNIVERSARY GALA celebration in New York. Following that performance, PBS hired him to provide the voice of Mark Twain for their controversial documentary series CULTURE SHOCK - CHALLENGING ART. His surprise performance as Twain was credited, by the executive director of the U.S. 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. 

 

"He brings America's most celebrated humorist out of the pages and into the flesh once more."
― NBC Today Show 
 
"Behold the transformation!"
― San Diego Tribune   

"Mark Twain is alive and well and traveling the world with Ken Richters"
― Los Angeles Times    
 
"A wild, wonderful, witty old man. Ken Richters as Mark Twain is a timeless brand of American humor."
― New Haven Register   
 
"Mark Twain is America's beloved author, wit, humorist, curmudgeon, satirist, and lecturer ... Ken Richters' interpretation is masterful."
― Washington Magazine   

"Ken Richters is a fine actor with a remarkable vocal range. He is comfortable as Twain and has him down to the finest detail. His gestures, facial expressions, and timing are impeccable."
― Worcester Sunday Telegram
 

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