Richard Thomas returns to Fort Worth for another iconic role
When Richard Thomas first came to Fort Worth years ago it was for the art scene — as in museums. Thomas, a lover of all things art, made a beeline over here while performing in a show in Dallas.
Now, it’s a regular part of his agenda any time he’s in the area.
“They have some of the best museums in the world there,” Thomas said. “I love the Kimbell and the Carter, that entire campus of museums is world class.”
He had never performed in Fort Worth until he graced the stage at Bass Hall as Atticus Finch in Aaron Sorkin’s revised version of “To Kill A Mockingbird” in late 2023.
Now he’s coming back in another iconic role in the one-man show “Mark Twain Tonight!” The show is one night only on Jan. 27 at Bass Hall.
“It’s a whole bunch of different feelings,” Thomas, 74, said of portraying the legendary American writer, humorist, and lecturer. “He was so rich as a person. He’s everywhere in the world. He is us. He is quintessentially America.”
Known to many as the author of fabled books about Tom Sawyer and his friend Huckleberry Finn, Thomas stressed that Twain was so much more.
“Not a lot of people know Twain was such a great performer himself,” he said. “He was a comprehensive thinker, philosopher and he put on tremendous performances.”
The show is celebrating 60 years since its Broadway premiere in 1966, though Hal Halbrook received critical acclaim for performing it as far back as 1954 when he wrote it at Denison University and performed it as a college project at Lock Haven State Teachers College (now Lock Haven University). The late actor starred in the role for over 2,300 performances and to more than 2 million people worldwide.
Hal Halbrook first performed role
This new national tour marks the first time the one-man play has been led by an actor other than Holbrook, with Thomas being the first and only actor authorized by the Holbrook estate to do so.
“His estate got in touch with me and I jumped at it,” Thomas said. “I felt very honored to be offered to revise it, and to get to know this Mark Twain character in a whole new way.”
Holbrook’s final Broadway run as Twain ended in 2005 (he had the original run in 1966, winning a Tony Award, and reprised it in 1977). He continued performing regionally for years, officially retiring from the role in 2017 due to declining health, passing away in 2021 at 95.
Interestingly, Thomas and Holbrook never worked together on stage or screen, but Thomas said they shared a liking for each other’s works and interests.
“We had a nice collegial relationship. We admired each other a lot,” Thomas said. “Hal Holbrook recreated the perfect Twain and gave such great performances all around the world. I’m so honored they asked me to continue this.”
Thomas said the show is more than an evening of entertainment — though it is certainly that. It is a chance for the audience to connect with one of history’s greatest characters, whose reflections on the world continue to be applicable.
“It’s always a great time for people to get to know Mark Twain,” he said. “He’s always right now. Twain’s evolution as an American thinker, his social consciousness, it echoes the country’s evolution.”
The show on the evening of Jan. 27 will be preceded by an educational performance in the morning as a part of the Children’s Education Program of Performing Arts Fort Worth. Thomas said he loves seeing young people in the audience, particularly at shows such as this.
“This is a time when young people are forming their lives and direction,” he said. “Religion, politics, his insights and challenges he offers into this and much more is something young people can understand.
“He had a different way of being funny, thought-provoking. This is a great time for an ear-opening for young people.”
Thomas, whose parents were members of the New York City Ballet, began acting a 7 and rose to fame in his own iconic role as John-Boy Walton in the classic TV series “The Waltons.” He won an Emmy Award for the character in 1973.
His career went on to include many more memorable performances in numerous genres. More recently he had a recurring role in Netflix’s “Ozark,” working alongside Jason Bateman and Laura Linney.
He had worked with Linney previously in the Broadway production of “Little Foxes,” for which he received a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Play.
“Laura and I are old friends, so when she called and said, ‘Would you play my dad?’ of course I said yes,” Thomas said.
But he said his favorite mode of performing is live theater.
“For me, theater is the first art. I’ve been lucky enough to do all of it - stage, TV, film - my whole life, but I’m a theater animal,” he said. “I think if you ask most actors who have done all areas, they will also tell you they prefer acting live on the stage. There’s just an energy that comes with it that makes it special.”
In 2025 Thomas was inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame in New York.
“It’s a great honor, seeing all those names on the walls of the Gershwin Theater and having worked with so many of them,” Thomas said.
Following this seven-month tour of his Twain portrayal, which began in August, Thomas said he is beginning rehearsals for a new show. David Lindsay-Abaire’s play “The Balusters,” is set for a Broadway premier in the spring.
He also hopes to get back in front of a camera soon, he said. And, of course, he’s already anticipating the next tour of, as he calls it, “The Twain Train.”
And if his future endeavors bring him back to the Fort Worth area, well, he said that will just make it all the more exciting.
“Fort Worth has such a great cultural scene, it’s a wonderful theater community. I look forward to any time I can get there,” he said. “My wife and I both love it there.”