Hand to God / our review

rude Crude FUNNY

Feb 19th, 2016

Wendy Fynn

Wendy Fynn

​Fighting Your Demons Out On Stage

Best bit: Harry Melling's incredible ability to play two complicated characters at once

Any boring bits? Not boring per se though some scenes seem to draw things out for effect rather than adding to the story. But then, that is probably the whole point with a play of this sort!

Who would like it? Fans of Book of Mormon, Avenue Q, and religious satires

Who wouldn't like it? Christians, fans of the Bible, and those who are easily offended

Morning after effect: Trying to forget certain scenes

Verdict: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Any play that moves from Off-Broadway to Broadway to the West End is bound to have some hype attached. Add to that a controversial subject matter and the inclusion of a demonic sock puppet, and you've got a real conversation starter. So I wasn't surprised that the London transfer of Hand to God, Broadway's latest offering to satiate the appetite of Book of Mormon and Avenue Q fans, has been met with mixed reviews. In fact, I can't help but wonder to what extent the hype itself has been the one to blame.

Meet Jason (Harry Melling) - a painfully shy teenager who is trying to balance processing the death of his father with fending off bully, Timothy (Kevin Mains). Not able to catch a break, the poor kid is also guilted into attending the Christian puppetry classes his mom (Janie Dee) teaches, where he's developed a disastrous crush on Jessica (Jemima Rooper). This setup on its own allows the play to lean on plenty of jokes inspired by the awkwardness of adolescence and of course religious satire, though it is clear from the start that the meat of the play is inspired by the playwright’s own childhood experiences of church.

I think it's about appropriate here to introduce Tyrone. Tyrone is a 12-inch, cotton grey sock puppet with a tuft of red wooly hair and button eyes. But that’s where the cute-appeal comes to an end. Tyrone has issues, serious issues. He swears like a trooper, counts Satan amongst his inspirations, and has on-stage puppet sex with a busty female sock puppet… yes folks, you can’t just make this sh*t up. It becomes obvious that Tyrone isn't an Exorcist-style possessed appendage, rather a manifestation of poor Jason's pent up anger. Swap Jason for playwright Robert Askins, and now I’m even more interested.

It's no secret that Hand to God was informed by Askin's Christian upbringing and experience of Sunday School puppetry classes. I think we can all agree that, whether they're religious or not, enforced puppetry classes will mess a child up for life, however at the end of the play I found myself feeling like I'd just been tricked into spending two hours watching a teenage Askins froth and foam and rage about the injustices of teenage life and the Church. Sure, there is a strong sub-plot involving his mother and the Pastor which, alongside Jason's own struggle, does briefly explore the Good and Evil which lies in all of us. But largely due to all the hype I'd heard about Hand to God, I came into the Vaudeville expecting a lot more substance and less of the cheap laughs brought about by a puppet saying the F-word repeatedly or a middle-aged woman sleeping with a teenage boy. Hang on a minute - isn't that illegal?

I'm not denying that theatre in general can't be used as a platform of expression whether it's constructive or not, but I felt that we got all Askins' rage and no answers, all the destruction without a glimpse of hope. I mean, I saw things I won’t be able to unsee, like puppet fellatio for one. But perhaps that was his intention all along - to shock, to have vengeance on the audience, on the sort of people who teased him as a teen. If so, he's certainly got his way in London, Off-Broadway, on Broadway, and who knows where else next...

Reviewed by Wendy FYNN

Friday 19th February 2016
Vaudeville Theatre, London
Find me on Twitter: @_londontheatre_

View our show pages for more information about Hand to God, Vaudeville Theatre.

Hand to God, Vaudeville Theatre, London

Hand to God

Vaudeville Theatre: Closed Apr 30, 2016

Hand to God centre on Jason, a shy boy whose teenage angst is channelled into his hand puppet Tyrone, during the rehearsal for a church theatre group. Robert Askins' five time Tony nominee black comedy...more info

Book TicketsBook tickets for Hand to God, Vaudeville Theatre, London

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