"How is it possible for a man who died in 1910 to be standing here in front of us in 2004?" The question is frequently asked, and the man in the white linen suit usually scratches his forehead a moment, wondering indeed how such a feat can happen, and then he answer with, "It was actually Samuel L. Clemens who died in 1910. Mark Twain continues to live in the hearts and minds of generations who first encountered the famous American author and humorist in grade school when they read about the adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn.”

Richard R. Salassi brings the man to life again with his one-man show, A Visit with Mark Twain, appearing at the Lamplight Dinner Theater April 23 and 24.

Salassi, a native Mississippian who currently makes his home in Texas , has been touring his show for eight years, delighting audiences all across the south with Twain's irreverent wit and wisdom. His ninety-minute presentation reveals “Twain's study of the unchanging quality of human nature then, now, and no doubt, in the future.”

“Sam Clemens was a keen observer of the human condition in his day, but it was Twain who put those observations into words,” Salassi said recently in an interview. “And no doubt Clemens continues to observe the human condition today. Whether he's gazing down on the human race, or enviously looking up at it, we cannot say.”

Critics and historians have noted Salassi's striking resemblance to the man, hailing his performance as one that realistically captures Twain's manner: his speech, his delivery, and his timing.

Salassi's Homepage

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