Broadway at the National is pleased to announce that Emmy Award-winning actor Richard Thomas will star in a new production of Mark Twain Tonight! Richard Thomas is the first and only actor authorized to perform the play, written and originally performed by Hal Holbrook. Mark Twain Tonight! will play The National for two performances only, September 20-21, 2025. Tickets will go on sale Thursday, August 14, at 12 pm.
Mark Twain’s wry humor and irreverent observations led to his being called “the nation’s one true comic genius” (The New York Times). Millions have cheered for the legendary one-man show, bursting with Twain’s “uproariously funny” and “pungently wise” (Time Magazine) commentary.
Most recently seen on Broadway in Our Town, on tour as Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird, and on Netflix’s Ozark, and recently named as a 2025 Theater Hall of Fame Inductee, Richard Thomas is beloved to generations as John-Boy Walton.
The creative team for Mark Twain Tonight! includes Michael Wilson, Creative Consultant; Brian Prather, Scenic Designer; Sam Fleming, Costume Designer; Anthony Pearson, Lighting Designer; Shannon Slaton, Sound Designer; Campbell Young Associates/Luc Verschueren, Wig Designer. The production team includes Erin Albrecht, Production Supervisor, and Ryan Parliament, Company Manager. Hannah Rosenthal is Executive Producer.
Facts about Mark Twain Tonight!
- Written and performed for more than six decades on Broadway, on tour and on television by Hal Holbrook
- Played over 2,300 performances, to an audience of more than 2 million people nationwide.
- Richard Thomas is the first and only actor authorized to perform the play, written and originally performed by Hal Holbrook.
- 2026 marks the 60th anniversary of the Broadway premiere
RICHARD THOMAS won an Emmy Award and received multiple Golden Globe Award nominations for his starring role as John-Boy Walton in the television drama The Waltons. He is most recognizable to contemporary television audiences for his roles in the hit series Ozark, The Americans, Billions, and the original Stephen King miniseries It. His feature film performances include The Unforgivable, Wonder Boys, Last Summer, Red Sky at Morning, and Taking Woodstock. He has been seen in acclaimed performances on stage including the revival of The Little Foxes, for which he received a Tony Award nomination, Our Town, You Can’t Take it With You, The Great Society, Race, Democracy, Incident at Vichy (Drama Desk Award nomination), The Stendhal Syndrome (Lucille Lortel Award nomination, Outer Critics Circle Award nomination), A Naked Girl on the Appian Way, An Enemy of the People, Tiny Alice, The Front Page, The Fifth of July, innumerable Shakespeare productions, and his professional debut at 8 years old in Sunrise at Campobello. Across the country he has starred in the national tours of The Humans (Elliot Norton Award), Twelve Angry Men, and for three years as “Atticus Finch” in Aaron Sorkin’s To Kill a Mockingbird. Richard previously served as the Honorary Chair of the National Corporate Theatre Fund, a position also held by his predecessor Hal Holbrook. He is a 2025 inductee to the Theater Hall of Fame.
Mark Twain Tonight! plays September 20, 2025 at 7:30 PM and September 21, 2025 at 2:00 PM at The National Theatre, 1321 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20004. Tickets start at $29 and go on sale August 14 at the National Theatre box office or online at BroadwayAtTheNational.com.
Box Office hours are Monday through Friday 12:00-6:00pm with extended evening and weekend hours during performance days. Tickets for groups of 10 or more are available by emailing groupsales@broadwayatthenational.com.
ABOUT THE NATIONAL THEATRE
Located on Pennsylvania Avenue near the White House, The National Theatre opened in 1835 and is the nation’s oldest venue still presenting touring Broadway. Nederlander manages and programs the theater, including the Broadway at The National series. The name “Nederlander” has been synonymous with great entertainment since 1912. Led by James L. Nederlander, President, Nederlander continues the tradition of operating historic theaters, as well as producing and presenting the best in theatrical entertainment and concert events. The National Theatre Foundation is the 501(c)(3) nonprofit entity responsible for the continued operation and preservation of The National Theatre.
