Twain Wishes Farewell To The Mother Lode
“There are three things which I consider to be excellent advice,” mentors Mark Twain. “First, don´t smoke to excess. Second. Don´t drink to excess. And third. Don´t marry…to excess.”
In a final Mother Lode performance, well-known Sonora actor Randy Maple presents his portrayal of Mark Twain tonight.
Over the 10-plus years of doing Twain, Maple has become a serious student of the famous Mother Lode figure.
“I find the most remarkable thing about Twain – think about this,” Maple said last night in his backstage dressing room following the performance. “This is the one man who created another human being who stood for every part of his reverie and imagination who was the living embodiment of Samuel Clemens. That’s a big deal!” Maple continued.
“Somebody who can create a real person who contains everything that you can’t, for what ever reason, be,” said Maple. “Ooosh. No wonder this guy was big.”
During his “Farewell to the Mother Lode” at the Fallon House Theater in Columbia Sunday and again this evening, Maple’s portrayal of Mark Twain features character assassinations in the satirical Twain style and a dramatic excerpt from his “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” A special dinner show is also offered this evening. Call the City Hotel for more information and tickets.
“Twain’s whole objective, his whole life, everything he did, was to do one thing,” Maple explained. “To take a truth and turn it into a lie. Take a lie and turn it into a truth. This is the whole way this guy spun.”
This may be the last time this “Mark Twain” will be seen in the Mother Lode for a while. Maple, with his wife Rose Lee, is moving to Germany later in the New Year.
Maple says he plans on learning some German and hopefully put on Twain shows in that country as well.
Scholars of Mark Twain from across the county will converge in Sonora next month for tours of the historic areas known for Twain visits. The reading of an original play by local play write Rick Foster called “Inventing the West: The Dangerous Friendship of Mark Twain and Bret Harte.” will see Maple and fellow Sonora actor Tom Maguire perform.
