MARK TWAIN TURNS 70, WORDS AND SONGS Set for United Solo Festival, 9/20

Long before his New York City funeral in 1910, Samuel Clemens gave life to Mark Twain, the enduring American character who has never left stage and screen, whose name denotes a coveted prize for celebrity humorists, and whose autobiography became a best-seller in 2010.

Among today's generation of performers, Rod Rawlings, a Florida-based actor, portrays Twain in 1905, the year he turned 70 and enjoyed a lavish birthday dinner at Delmonico's hosted by his publishers, Harper & Brothers.

Blending material from the dinner celebration with other Twain works and favorite songs, Rawlings wrote "Mark Twain Turns 70, Words & Songs." The play, highly applauded in March 2015 at the SaraSolo Festival, Sarasota, Florida, makes its New York debut at the 2015 United Solo Festival.

The premise: Feeling morose over reaching age 70, the man called "the most conspicuous person on the planet" plans to stay home on his birthday with a good book and several cigars. But his daughters arrange a surprise party. Finding his parlor full of friends, Twain decides to entertain as a way to work through his gloom. With stories and songs accompanied by guitar, Twain humorously explores a reconciliation to reaching old age.

Rawlings closely resembles Twain, needing neither false mustache nor wig for the stage. He performs 7:30 p.m., Sunday, September 20.

2015 United Solo, the world's largest solo theatre festival, now in its 6th year, will present 150 shows from six continents at Theatre Row, 410 W. 42nd St., New York City. Tickets, priced $19.25 (including a $1.25 theatre restoration charge) are available at Theatre Row box office, by phone at 212.239.6200 or online at telecharge.com. See more at www.unitedsolo.org