Carson City’s Mark Twain, McAvoy Layne retires after 35 years of Twain performances
McAvoy Layne, Carson City’s ghost of Samuel Clemens for 35 years has been touring across the world as Mark Twain and is now ready to call his performance to a close.
Before his Twain years, Layne had “the world’s best job” in Maui, Hawaii on a morning radio show. But the one thing it didn’t have was skiing. Layne booked a cabin in Tahoe for five days, where it snowed five feet overnight and kept him inside.
“I thought it was the worst stroke of luck,” Layne said.
When Layne sat down, having what felt like cabin fever by then and saw the complete essays of Mark Twain on the coffee table. The rest of how Layne became Twain was history.
“That seed was planted in fertile ground,” Layne said. “Next thing I knew … I’m lecturing in Leningrad University in Russia in a white suit … all because I got trapped in a cabin up in Tahoe.”
It took Layne ten years to read the 18,000 pages Twain left. Once Layne got the courage up and the suit was made, he started visiting schools to present Mark Twain until Carol Piper Marshall from Piper’s Opera House called to give Layne his big break.
Marshall offered Layne to do two shows a day, six days a week for four months at Piper’s Opera House in the summer of 1988. Layne was able to try out new Twain material on live audiences to see what would recite with a modern audience.
Layne said it was a wonderful thing he chose to get involved in and his embarrassing moments are some of his highlights he’s cherished over the years.
“One life is not enough. Live twice, because once you become that other person, it gives you another life,” Layne said when discussing his time performing Twain. “I encourage people, especially people who are about to retire who are gonna have some time on their hands … study someone you admire and bring that person to life. You will not be sorry.”
Now, Layne is excited to thank Marshall for his big break by performing one last time on the night of Sept 30 at Piper’s Opera House, for a benefit for the Comstock Foundation.
"It will be an emotional night for me, because that's where it all started. I'll be standing in the same spot," Layne said.
When asked why he was stepping out of the role, Layne said, “A very smart lady once told me ‘McAvoy, better to retire two years too early, than two minutes too late.’ And I took her to heart.”
Even though his performances are over, Layne will continue to have up to six people in his home for “An Evening with Mark Twain” during scheduled days from 7 p.m. till 9 p.m. They bring a beverage of choice and he supplies the glasses that say “I drank with the ghost of Mark Twain” that they can take home with them.
Besides his home Twain performances, Layne is looking to get a marimba to show off his rhythm and learn some Spanish so he can speak with people who don’t know much English.