About
the Play:
Hand to God is a full-length dark comedy by Robert
Askins. Nominated for five Tony Awards, Hand to God is a provocative
play that centres on quiet student Jason who discovers a way to
express himself thanks to his local Christian Puppet Ministry.
Creating a new hand puppet friend Tyrone, things start to go very
wrong for Jason when this similarly inanimate object springs
hilariously to life, shaking the core of Jason's small Texas town.
Hand to God explores the startlingly fragile nature of
faith, morality, and the ties that bind us. After the death of his
father, shy, inquisitive student
Jason finds an outlet for
his burgeoning creativity at the Christian Puppet Ministry, in
the devoutly religious, relatively quiet small town of Cypress,
Texas. Jason's complicated relationships with the town pastor, the
school bully, the girl next door, and – most especially – his
mother are thrown into upheaval when Jason's once
soft-spoken hand puppet, Tyrone, takes on a shocking and
dangerously irreverent personality all its own. As
Tyrone begins to encourage those around him to give in to their urges
and desires, Jason must question everything he knows..
The Obie Award-winning Hand to God enjoyed three sold-out
runs at the Ensemble Studio Theatre (EST) in 2011-12, and a
critically acclaimed run at MCC Theater, where it was named a New
York Times "Critics' Pick" and called "the most
entertaining show of 2014." Following these hit engagements
Off-Broadway, it opened on Broadway at the Booth Theatre in 2015 and
transferred to London at the Vaudeville Theatre. The must-see hit of
season, it received five 2015 Tony Award nominations, including Best
Play. Since then the play
has been
produced widely
at professional theatres across the US and has been mounted by high
schools, colleges, and community theatres.
Cast: 2 female, 3 male
What people say:
"The fearsome critter
[Tyrone], who takes possession of a troubled teenager's left arm in
Robert Askins' darkly delightful play really inspires goose bumps as
he unleashes a reign of terror…But he's also flat-out hilarious,
spewing forth acid comedy that will turn those goose bumps into
guffaws." — The New York Times
"Furiously funny…Askins'
most impressive talent is his ability to make us laugh while juggling
those big themes that make life so terrifying: death, depression,
alcoholism, sexual guilt, emotional repression, religious hypocrisy
and the eternal battle between your good puppet and your bad puppet."
— Variety
"A scabrously funny scenario
that steadily darkens into suspense and Grand Guignol horror, this
fiery clash of the id, ego and superego is also an audacious
commentary on the uses of faith, both to comfort and control us."
— The Hollywood Reporter
"I don't know which I want to
do more: Sing Hallelujah – or wash its dirty little mouth out with
soap. …Clearly a singular vision is at work here, with playwright
Robert Askins venturing successfully into territory – satire –
rich with potholes." — Deadline
"Hand To God is
so ridiculously raunchy, irreverent and funny it's bound to leave you
sore from laughing. Ah, hurts so good." — New York
Daily News
"The freshest and funniest
Broadway comedy in years ... Hand To God is to
plays as The Book Of Mormon is to musicals: a welcome breath of foul
air." — Time Out New
About the Playwright:
Robert Askins is a Tony-nominated American playwright who
was born in Cypress, Texas. He was educated at the Houston High
School for the Visual and Performing Arts and is a graduate of Baylor
University. He moved to New York in 2005 and is a member of The
Ensemble Studio Theatre. He has received two EST/Sloan grants, the
Helen Merrill Emerging Playwrights Award, and an Arch and Bruce Davis
Award for Playwriting.
