Hal Holbrook to portray Mark Twain at River Campus

Mark Twain is returning to the Mississippi River for one night only. Hal Holbrook posing as Mark Twain that is, in his one-man performance, "Mark Twain Tonight!"

Holbrook has been performing as Mark Twain since 1959 and will be at the River Campus at 7:30 p.m. Saturday for a sold-out, one-night performance.

Holbrook wrote the act from personal research on Twain and has performed all over the country.

The Tony and Emmy Award-winning actor played a callous old newspaper editor on "Evening Shade" in the 1990s. He's been in dozens of movies such as "A Clear and Present Danger" and "The Firm," as well as several made-for-TV movies.

Holbrook played Wild Bill McKenzie, the fill-in lawyer for Perry Mason when he's out of town in the "Perry Mason Mystery" movies on NBC. In the mid-90s.

Tickets have been sold out since shortly after they went on sale. About 100 names are on the waiting list.

Southeast Missouri State University has so many people asking for tickets, they are asking ticket-holding patrons to donate their seat if they do not plan to attend. River Campus spokeswoman Amanda Thornberry said tickets can be donated up until the performance Saturday night, but they will go to the names on the waiting list first.

The show is part of Holbrook's national tour of "Mark Twain Tonight!"