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| The cast of 'Hands On A Hardbody' surrounds the title character |
The much-coveted cherry red Nissan pickup truck that is the title character of Hands On A Hardbody, the new musical at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre, is such stuff as dreams are made on. As one would-be owner of said vehicle puts it, “the American dream…a Japanese truck.”
With a blend of country, pop, rockabilly and gospel songs by
Trey Anastasio (music) and Amanda Green (music and lyrics), Hands On A Hardbody
relates the story of an endurance contest, in which the Nissan will belong to whoever can remain standing the longest while keeping one hand affixed
to the truck at all times. It’s winner-take-all as the 10 competitors fight the hot
Texas sun, boredom, exhaustion, and one another’s psych-out plays and annoying habits over four grueling days.
The competition is a modern take on the marathon dance contests
held during the Great Depression, as was so hauntingly depicted in the novel
and movie They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?
But there is an important distinction.
The characters in They Shoot Horses have an air of desperation
about them; they view the prize money as the only thing that stands between
them and complete and utter defeat. No such burden haunts the quest for the
Nissan. Oh, all of the participants have
their reasons for wanting the truck, and owning it would make their lives a
little better. But the stakes are not
really that high for any of them. The winner may drive off with the prize, but
the rest will get on with their lives as before and will have another shot in
next year’s contest.
With nothing for the audience to look at but the truck and
the people standing around it, that leaves quite a pickup load for the
individual performances and the songs to carry.
This, in a nutshell, defines both the downside and the upside
to Hands On A Hardbody, which is based on a 1997 documentary about an actual
group of rural Texans engaged in just such a contest.
“Minimalism” is not a word too often associated with a
Broadway musical, especially at Broadway ticket prices, although it is a relief
to see a show that depicts a real-life story without resorting to bombast and
overproduction. An example that comes to
mind is last year’s irritatingly overblown Leap of Faith that occupied some of
the same territory as Hands On A Hardbody.
If that musical had been tamed down, and had lost its snarky attitude, it
could have told a straightforward story of redemption and earned more respect
for its efforts.
Without all the noise and funk, what Hands On A Hardbody has
to offer is a stage filled with talented performers, starting with Keala
Settle, last seen on Broadway in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, who brings
down the house with her fiery rendition of the powerhouse gospel number, “Joy
of the Lord.” Indeed, her singing is so
infectious that even the truck joins the performance. It’s also great to see Keith Carradine (so
memorable in The Will Rogers Follies) back on stage, though I do wish he had
been given more to sing.
And how good it is that Hunter Foster has been given the opportunity
to take on the juicy role of Benny Perkins, the cocksure defending
champion. Mr. Foster has had a number of
acting detours since lighting up the New York theater scene in Urinetown and
Little Shop of Horrors back in the day, and his more recent appearances were in
non-singing roles that had him showing off his naked butt (Burning) or wandering
aimlessly about (Million Dollar Quartet).
Producers take note; this man can sing, and he can rule a stage!
Doug Wright’s book and Neil Pepe’s direction keep a tight
rein on things, allowing the characters to tell their stories, form
relationships, and sing their songs.
Because of this approach, some wags have taken to calling Hands On A
Hardbody the "redneck version" of A Chorus Line.
It’s probably not the best comparison. Anastasio and Green’s
songs are the right numbers for the characters to sing, but only “Joy of the
Lord” stands out. Fans of A Chorus Line
are not necessarily the audience for Hands On A Hardbody, which is more likely
to find a longer life traveling around the country than it will on Broadway,
which really does like its frills and furbelows.
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