An Evening with Mark Twain
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| The stage, before the show began |
Performed by Don Shelby
Review By Ernest Edwards
Yes that Don Shelby. The retired newscaster is also an actor. I had seen him at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres back in February in Love Letters. His acting resume is very impressive, as is his career as a newscaster.
Did some research during intermission for this one night only event at the Main Stage at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres Monday night. Don Shelby has performed as Mark Twain over 200 times around the region. We learned from the Q&A after the show that he has been performing as Mark Twain for 50 years.
Wish I could have taken a photo of Don Shelby during the show. With the costume, wig, eyebrows, nose, and mustache, he really looked like Mark Twain. At the end of the show, Don Shelby brought a makeup table on stage and as he took off the mustache and eyebrows, he looked like Don Shelby again under all of that. It was an amazing transformation.
After the show Don Shelby explained why he was doing the show at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres and on a Monday. Monday’s are when the main stage musicals have a night off. The staff was working on their night off for this one night only special event. Which was also sold out! Don also said that Michael Brindisi had asked him to bring his Mark Twain to the Chanhassen Dinner Theatres. He was also honoring the wishes of the late great Michael Brindisi.
I have never seen Don Shelby perform as Mark Twain before. I only learned about this one night only event when I had went to Love Letters in February, and at that point there was only single seats left for the event. After the show was over, Don Shelby announced that this was his last performance as Mark Twain. His family was in the audience, as were several of his friends. To quote Don Shelby, “Best to go out on top with a sold out performance, versus an audience of 12”.
Something else I learned was that Don Shelby had a chance encounter with Hal Holbrook a long time ago. That chance encounter led to a friendship that lasted until Hal Holbrook passed in 2021. The two them spent many years discussing Mark Twain. It was Hal Holbrook’s performance of Mark Twain that inspired Don Shelby.
This ended up being a really special evening. Not only seeing Don Shelby as Mark Twain for the first time, but attending his final performance as Mark Twain.
