The Hartford, Hartford Stage and The Mark Twain House & Museum Kick Off Year-Long Partnership with the Return of Hal Holbroo

Academy Award nominee Hal Holbrook, whose Mark Twain
Tonight! has defined the image and style of the great American
author for thousands of theatergoers for over five decades, will perform
his much-loved portrait of the great author on Saturday, January 23,
2010 at 7:30 p.m. at the University of Hartford's Lincoln Theater.

This unforgettable, one-night-only event is a collaboration of Hartford
Stage, The Mark Twain House & Museum and The Hartford Financial
Services Group, Inc., and launches The Mark Twain House & Museum's 2010
Centennial Celebration. The year 2010 marks the centennial of Mark
Twain's death, the 175th anniversary of his birth, and the 125th
anniversary of the publication of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
in the U.S.

The Hartford marks a significant milestone of its own in 2010,
celebrating the Bicentennial of its incorporation and two centuries of
service to the communities in which its employees live and work. In
honor of this achievement, The Hartford has made a historic underwriting
commitment to both The Mark Twain House & Museum's Centennial events and
Hartford Stage's Twain programs. The Hartford will be providing
year-long financial support, including being the Presenting Sponsor of
Hartford Stage's upcoming world premiere theatrical adaptation of The
Adventures of Tom Sawyer and its Twain-related programs and
education initiatives.

The performance of Mark Twain Tonight! marks the kick-off
of this joint endeavor, as well as a return by the Emmy- and Tony
Award-winning Hal Holbrook to the city Mark Twain loved so well. In
1956, Holbrook performed Mark Twain Tonight! at the Mark Twain
Memorial's annual meeting, just three months after he had won nationwide
acclaim with the piece on "The Ed Sullivan Show." Holbrook's most recent
Hartford appearance was in the record-breaking production of Our Town
at Hartford Stage in 2007, where he played the central role of the Stage
Manager.

The Mark Twain House & Museum's Executive Director Jeffrey L.
Nichols states, "Thanks to The Hartford, we have a full year planned
with author lectures, special performances, fun-filled family
activities, a new book club in collaboration with the Harriet Beecher
Stowe Center, the National Endowment for the Arts Big Read of The
Adventures of Tom Sawyer with libraries across the state, insightful
exhibitions, and, of course, the many events surrounding Hartford
Stage's Tom Sawyer. We look forward to spending a year reflecting
on the life, work and home of Mark Twain."

Hartford Stage Artistic Director Michael Wilson says of the
partnership, "All of us at Hartford Stage are thrilled to be partnering
with The Hartford and The Mark Twain House & Museum on these exciting
celebratory events. We look forward to welcoming Hal Holbrook back to
Hartford to revisit one of the great roles of his spectacular career,
and are most grateful for The Hartford's sponsorship of our upcoming
world premiere of Twain's classic The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.
Laura Eason's vibrant new adaptation will introduce another generation
to the magic of Twain's genius."

"Mark Twain, one of our nation's greatest authors, was inspired to write
some of his best works while living in Hartford," says Connie Weaver,
Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications at The Hartford.
"His renowned works provide insight into the American mindset of the
late nineteenth century, and continue to have strong meaning for
Americans today. Through this historic partnership between The Mark
Twain House & Museum and Hartford Stage, Twain's work will again come to
life and commemorate the rich history of our region. We are pleased to
work on such a historic effort and look forward to celebrating our
bicentennial year with two of Hartford's cultural gems."

MARK TWAIN TONIGHT! TICKET INFORMATION: Tickets for Mark
Twain Tonight! go on sale to the general public on December 7 at $55
and $70, with a $125 premier seating ticket that includes a dessert
reception with Hal Holbrook after the performance. Tickets may be
purchased by calling the Hartford Stage box office at 860-527-5151 or
online at hartfordstage.org. The Lincoln Theater is located at 200
Bloomfield Avenue in West Hartford.

In April, Hartford Stage will present the world premiere of Laura
Eason's adaptation of Twain's beloved classic, The Adventures
of Tom Sawyer. Hartford Stage Associate Artistic Director Jeremy
B. Cohen will direct. Tom Sawyer chronicles the adventures of
Twain's mischievous young hero in a small town on the Mississippi River
and showcases Twain's brilliant sense of humor and keen insights into
human nature.

Event underwriters for Mark Twain Tonight! are Sally and Ted
Carrier; Dr. and Mrs. J. David Haddox; Stephen and Amy Sills; David and
Jan Klein; Tom and Margah Lips; and Reid & Riege, P.C. The Event
Committee includes Connie K. Weaver, Honorary Chair; Karen and John
Wheat, Co-chairs; Gregory Butler; Dr. J. David Haddox; and Duby McDowell.

The Mark Twain House & Museum has restored the author's
Hartford, Connecticut home, where the author and his family lived from
1874 to 1891. Twain wrote his most important works there, including Adventures
of Huckleberry Finn, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and A
Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. In addition to providing
tours of Twain's restored home, a National Historic Landmark, the
institution offers activities and educational programs that illuminate
Twain's literary legacy and provide information about his life and
times. The Mark Twain House and Museum at 351 Farmington Ave. are open
Monday through Saturday, 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m., and Sunday, noon-5:30 p.m.
For more information, call 860-247-0998 or visit www.MarkTwainHouse.org.

Since its founding in 1963, Hartford Stage (Michael
Wilson, Artistic Director, and Michael Stotts, Managing
Director) has produced over 320 new productions, among them more than 60
world or American premieres. Recent work includes a landmark production
of Horton Foote's three-part The Orphans' Home Cycle, Harper
Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, the world premiere of Daniel Beaty's Resurrection,
several plays by Tennessee Williams during an unprecedented ten-year
marathon of his work, including The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here
Anymore, Summer and Smoke, A Lovely Sunday for Creve
Coeur, and the two-evening 8 By Tenn, which included three
premieres. Other new work includes the premiere of Eve Ensler's Necessary
Targets; the commission and premiere of Edward Albee's Peter and
Jerry; the East Coast premiere of Lanford Wilson's Book of Days;
and Matthew Barber's Enchanted April which transferred to
Broadway. The theatre has earned numerous distinguished honors,
including a Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre, the Margo Jones
Award, OBIE awards, and a New York Critics Circle award. In 2005
Hartford Stage was awarded The Hartford Courant's Tapestry Award
recognizing its outstanding work in diversity, and in 2008 it was
awarded the Bank of America Neighborhood Builder's Award recognizing its
excellent educational work in the Greater Hartford community.

Celebrating nearly 200 years, The Hartford (NYSE: HIG | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating) is an
insurance-based financial services company that serves households,
businesses and employees by helping to protect their assets and income
from risks, and by managing wealth and retirement needs. A Fortune 500
company, The Hartford is recognized widely for its service expertise and
as one of the world's most ethical companies. More information on the
company and its financial performance is available at www.thehartford.com.

Programs of The Mark Twain House & Museum and Hartford Stage are made
possible by the support of the Connecticut Commission on Culture &
Tourism and the Greater Hartford Arts Council.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6109824&lang=en

SOURCE: The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc.

Hartford Stage 
Paul Marte, 860-520-7247 
paulmarte@hartfordstage.org 
or 
The Mark Twain House & Museum 
Steve Courtney, 860-247-0998 Ext. 243 
steve.courtney@marktwainhouse.org 
or 
The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. 
Heather Lodini, 860-547-3301 
Heather.lodini@thehartford.com

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