Baerhands Theatre & Television Inc announced a limited engagement to a showing written, directed, and performed by Joe Baer as the deceased journalist and humorist in an off-Broadway New York production of ‘‘Samuel Clemens: Tales of Mark Twain.’’
The production will run Off-Broadway from May 6 through June 25 at the Actors Temple Theatre, where the first opening will set to stage on May 13 this year.
The solo production flexes a historic life story of Clemens/Twain with a satirical twist Clemens/Twain is known for. The show will open with Baer as Clemens/Twain on a lecture circuit in the 21st century(shown in the photograph below), highlighting the flows of the literature author’s life against a visual background of historical imagery.
The off-Broadway tale of Clemens/Twain presents a look through decades where Clemens/Twain showcase in his printed literary work and beginning with Clemens/Twain’s rural roots in a small town in Missouri. The immediate release sent via email describes the show as bringing Clemens/Twain back to life by communicating how many of the topics back then are just as relevant in today’s world.
Moreover, the press release stated Baer’s performance as Clemens/Twain will flex irreverence for politics and politicians and his penchant for embroidering the truth with less correct but more interesting alternative facts. Peppered throughout Baer’s performance in his role as Clemens/Twain come from passages and snappers culled from Clemens/Twain’s many humorous works in front of a stage of historical visual projections. The show includes a short performance from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, inspired by Hal Holbrook's Mark Twain Tonight.’
"Instead of impersonating Twain on stage, my goal is to personify him in a Twain character for the 21st century,” Baer expressed. “His logic and ‘snappers’ about Government, politics, war, religion, and education are timeless, and many, for better or worse, are still applicable to today’s world. A prime example of this would be the fact that people have distrusted the government since its inception. Twain had a penchant for observing politicians and then coming up with what he referred to as snappers that lampooned government officials and programs as a way of bringing awareness to them and starting up a public dialogue about them.”
The show flexes humorous elements, which Baer expressed in detail:
“There is a reason that Twain’s Huck Finn is considered the beginning of Modern American literature and a reason that the National Award for Humor is called the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. The prize recognizes those who had an impact on American society in ways similar to Twain. As a social commentator, satirist, and storyteller, Clemens fearlessly startled many with his keen observations while delighting and informing others with his uncompromising perspectives regarding social injustices and personal folly. Any late-night show monologue is a perfect example of how serious issues can be presented with humor.”
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