Hand to God: A Play

by Robert Askins

In the rec room in at a church in Cypress, Texas, Margery leads her students in a puppet pageant to strengthen their faith in the Bible and evade Satan's hand. But when the young members of the Christian Puppet Ministry put those teachings into practice, one devout young man's puppet takes on a shocking personality that no one could have expected. In this hilarious black comedy, a foul-mouthed sock puppet named Tyrone soon teaches those around him that the urges that can drive a person to give in to their darkest desires fit like a glove. In Hand to God, a "true tour de force" (New York Times), Robert Askins has written a play of "unerring perfection" (Huffington Post). The must-see hit of the 2015 Broadway season, starring Steven Boyer and Geneva Carr, garnered an Obie Award and five Tony Award nominations, including Best Play, following its sold out, critically acclaimed off-Broadway runs at MCC Theater and Ensemble Studio Theatre.

Genres: Plays, Theatre

96 pages, Paperback

Published October 23, 2018

Reviews

[The Shayne-Train · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hey hey! Another play I'm in, so another play read by necessity. And THIS play......whooooo, boy.

In a church basement, in a small Texas town, a youth program sees children making hand puppets. But what if one of the puppets gets POSSESSED BY THE FUCKING DEVIL?? (Or, perhaps worse, what if it's NOT the devil, and just the dark side of a shy, troubled boy manifesting itself?) Blasphemous, yet oddly poignant at times, there is a LOT going on in this play.

All that being said, I think the performance is going to be rough. Why? Because my wife and I BOTH have parts in this show. I'm the pastor. She's the mother of the kid with the evil puppet. And (tthhhpoiler alert), I'm gonna have to watch her have kinky on-stage sex with some other dude. But hey, that's theatre, right? RIGHT? (...Right?)

[Malcolm · Rating 4 out of 5]

At times very vulgar but not without pertinent things to say.

[Doug · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm sure that this PLAYS a heck of a lot better than it reads - especially if one has a stellar cast enacting it. But just reading it? meh! Wish I had seen the Broadway production.

[Christen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nope! Just, nope!

[Maddy Hayes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Damn. Bizarre. Dark. Wish Jessica talked more. Some of my favorite stage directions of all time to read.

[arden · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm stunned and I honestly dont know what the fuck I just read. Yet I'm somehow horrifyingly curious to see this play performed...

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really funny, ribald play. An amazing actor read the part of Jason/Tyrone and it was hilarious.

[Madeline · Rating 5 out of 5]

oh this play was so good
funny and sad and whole

[Connor Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

3/1/2019 Update:

4 stars. My thoughts changed after seeing the live production—so funny.

[Zack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Setting: “Nowish.” In and around the basement of a church in Cypress, Texas
Genre: Dark comedy Length: 2 acts; 41 pgs. Cast Size: 3M, 2W
Basis: Original Adaptations: None
Productions: Off-Broadway (Oct. ‘11, Feb.’12, March ‘14), Broadway (April ‘15-Jan 16), West End (Feb. ’16 – April ’16)
Accolades: Off-Broadway Alliance Award for Best Play, 5 Tony Award nominations (including Best Play)

Story:
“After the death of his father, meek Jason finds an outlet for his anxiety 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 puppet, Tyrone, takes on a shocking and dangerously irreverent personality all its own. HAND TO GOD explores the startlingly fragile nature of faith, morality, and the ties that bind us.”

On the Writing:
- Best comparisons: “Avenue Q meets Book of Mormon”, “Sesame Street meets The Exorcist”
- Stage directions written creatively, intone with the actual script
- Set in Texas, but only display of southern dialect was “cain’t” for “can’t”, nothing else written with the regional flair, a little inconsistent
- Many themes well-explored and given equal attention: parent/child relationships, widowed parenting, adult/young relationships and identification, coping with grief/loneliness
- At first skeptical of how the puppet would be used, but turned out to be a great approach to a coming-of-age story, giving into temptation, using other parts of the psyche
- Loved Tyrone and Jason’s relationship; quote labels it best they are “Dr. Jekyll and Miss Piggy”
- Loved Jason/Tyrone’s Who’s On First routine
- Dialogue and characterization for teen roles spot on: raw but honest, comedic for the wrong reasons, unintentionally brings out certain aspects of an adult’s personality
- Though most of it was purposeful and acknowledged, some moments were excessively vulgar and graphic for my liking; felt like some of the moments weren’t need to be as graphic and disturbing as they were (eating the poster, Tyrone’s language, biting of Timothy’s ear/Jason’s finger, Timothy/Margery’s sexual relationship)
- Jason/Tyrone’s Who’s On First routine described as “Aspergersy” – unsure if he is supposed to legitimately have Asperger’s
- Liked the scene and purpose of Jessica/Jolene, but sort of came out of nowhere; play should have been a little longer to incorporate this development (Maybe a scene with just her and the puppet?)




For Directing/Casting:
- Director has a very good, creative, multidimensional script to work with and could approach the content in many ways
- Would be fun to create the puppets and decorate the church basement
- “Kids are played by actors that look young. But by no means are the 15-17-year-olds they are intended to be”
- Margery should be 30-40, though no specific age given

For Acting:
- Jason needs to be able to do a puppet voice for Tyrone; challenging but fun for the actor as lots of back and forth and almost chemistry with the puppet
- Actors playing Jason, Timothy, and Jessica will enjoy playing 15-17-year-olds
- Though not being able to enjoy voicing a puppet, Timothy is also a great role
- Margery is a great role for an actress
- Due to Texas setting, accents likely to be needed
- Actors must be comfortable with the graphic, violent, sexual content

For Producing/Audiences:
- Doesn’t require a terribly high budget: short property list, everyday costumes, only a few different sets; cost may come from set decoration more than anything; swing set may be expensive
- Two puppets are needed but should not look professionally made; should look as though a teenager could have made them
- Rights for the prerecorded Christian music is needed as well as possibly the few bars of songs that are sung
- Any size performance space will do, though a smaller may yield more audience intimacy
- Won’t be a huge audience draw by name alone depending on area produced
- Audiences may be offended or disturbed by almost all the content (profanity, religion, homosexuality, sexual and violence, blood)

[Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw this play in a very strong production at Coal Mine Theatre in Toronto, which made me eager to read it. As it turns out, this is another piece that plays better than it reads, though I'm tempted to ascribe that to the strength of the production I saw. Under Mitchell Cushman's direction, there was a humanity and warmth to the production that doesn't seem to be there on the printed page. Still, they must have found something with which to work. Without the mediation of good actors, the play seems rather mean-spirited. Even the production, however, could not redeem the final speech, which seems to backtrack on the rest of the play and suddenly proclaim a Christian spirit that isn't there the rest of the time.

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone who knows me will tell you I LOVE quirky humor. Playwrights like Christopher Durang, Nicky Silver, David Lindsay-Abaire come to mind.... Well, Robert Askins belong with these beloved writers. Twisted plot, great characters. I'm so MAD at myself for missing the Broadway production!

[Kristen Lo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really funny mostly because of what comes out of this Tyrone's mouth-- you would not suspect a puppet to say such things! I don't know if there is a message or greater purpose to this play-- but it is a fun, hilarious ride. Good story arc as well.

[Kendra Carlson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining, but harsh with no obvious reason to redeem the harshness. I can't picture who the lead would be... Young cast needed.

[Tangled in Text · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never thought I would witness pupppets having sex...

[Monika · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great script. Shocks you through the use of intro monologue and epilogue, and puppets in a sinful church.

[Miranda · Rating 3 out of 5]

ENG 105: Literature in English


Iconic

[Nick K · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's more profound than it lets on. At times it is a little unsettling. Lots of fun stuff for all the actors to do!