Hands On A Hard Body

Fantastic show see it !! Great story, songs, and characters. Loved it

The show was a lot of fun, but I think it’s target audience is definitely from the South/​Midwest, not New Yorkers such as myself. Perhaps Broadway was not the end goal for the shows producers?
The show had a somewhat confined feeling that led me to believe it would probably be better served in an off broadway house. That said, it would transfer very easily to regional theater. Maybe that was the end goal?
It’s worth going to see, just not at full price. If your in the TKTS line, it deserves consideration.

I really wanted to like this show. I mean… really. Unfortunately, I was less than impressed. Where do I begin?
Overall, the premise is just weak. You want to root for these characters, but at the end of the day, they are fighting tooth and nail for a mid-90’s era Nissan truck, and the storytelling and songs just never quite get you there. (BTW — was I the only one that noticed the lady rocking the disc-​man while another guy was rocking a modern era Blackberry??)
The show contains a VERY minimal set. Just a truck on castors, a few folding chairs, and a couple coolers. That’s pretty much it. An easy show to take on the road — and would probably have mass appeal in some parts of the USA.
Likely, the largest obstacle to the success of the show, is the presence of that full size truck sitting center stage for the majority of the production. First off, it presents some serious blocking (blocking=character staging) when dealing with 12 actors who all have to be touching the truck for most of the show. For the majority of the first act, I couldn’t even see who was talking. Sure, since it’s on wheels, they spin the truck around a bunch and move it to and fro and shimmy around it, but all that gets old and the truck definitely got in the way. I wish they would have let the characters stray from the truck more often when they it was their turn for character development.
The show wasn’t all bad. Since I was there with a home-​grown Texan, I have it on good authority that the accents were spot on and extra things here and there (the coffee cups?) were authentic east Texas. Production wise, there were moments of energy and enthusiasm where the actors began to pull the audience in, but those moments were often followed by weaker moments where you’re brought back into the absurdity of it all — probably the truck was gliding around the stage again or something.
The actor who stood out the most was probably Keala Settle who played the religious devotee, Norma Valverde. She was able to fully embody her character with humor, heart, and passion, not to mention a set of pipes! That girl could sing, ok! Her song, «Joy to the Lord» was one to remember with excellent staging and high energy from the cast. I wish I had been able to see more from David Larsen. His song and character’s story were compelling, brilliantly acted, but he was under utilized by the overall story. I felt the rest of the cast was strong, but that some characters were better developed than others, which is probably partly due to the fact that you can’t possibly effectively feature 12 actors and completely explore each character.
It’s sad to see a show on Broadway with a short run, but I get it. Tony awards will be announced soon. I hope at least Ms. Settle gets a nod.

I stumbled upon this musical unexpectedly through tickets from a friend and was blown away. The music is amazing and catchy. it manages to be funny and heartfelt without feeling cheesy like most musicals. it’s also really incredible to watch the creativity that comes from a concept that seems it would be really limiting, the way they move the truck around was crazy. It’s definitely for true theater fans, as it’s not the typical flash-​without-​substance shows that tourists expect. Much more original than most shows. I was also skeptical because I don’t really like Phish (which the composer is from), but LOVED the songs. Not to mention the cast, it’s a small group but they’re all great. Hope this one wins some Tonys!

If you can get over the story, this was quite enjoyable. The actors are great, the songs are melodic with great stories to tell. The stage is one dimensional, but they do a great job of keeping the audience’s interest with movement and dance. Not traditional, but worth the ticket.

Eh! Very amateurish. and who cares., about any of the characters .stop whining about your problems!

Loved It! Not a traditional Broadway Musical, as the choreography is limited, but WOW the music and actors are amazing, and the dialogue is funny.
So much more interesting than many of the «touristy» musicals out there (which i enjoy, but nice to hear some new sounds and music on Broadway).

This musical is a slap waiting to happen. Their main ballad goes, «If you want something, put your hands on it.» Really good message to send out in the world…
Anyway, it wouldn’t say it was horrid, but it wasn’t exactly Broadway quality. We saw the opening night of previews and it was beyond long. Also, the person who finally won the truck we didn’t feel any connection to or care about. It almost seems as if this show was set-​up just to play on Broadway a few weeks, to say that it did, before going on tour. With a minimal set (basically just the truck) costumes and props it probably would be a very cost effective production on tour.
Overall, like we learned from the show, if you can’t run with the big dogs, stay on the porch with the pups. Maybe the producers should take their own advice.