Jose-Emilio Escoto, Favor Buchi, Andrew Foote, and Carter Minor in Hands on a Hardbody
If you’re the kind of competitive person who insists on playing Monopoly all the way to the bitter end, forcing the losing players into bankruptcy rather than letting everyone walk away when the outcome has become clear, then you may be in just the right head space to appreciate and enjoy the central storyline and characters of Hands on a Hardbody.
Currently being staged at the Timber Lake Playhouse, the show is based on the like-titled 1997 documentary about a contest held by a Texas Nissan dealership in 1995. The competitors all stood next to a brand-new truck and kept at least one hand on it as long as they could; whoever lasted longest got the truck. They did get periodic short breaks, but the event was a strangely grueling test of their stamina and sanity. Composers Trey Anastasio and Amanda Green adapted the real-life story into a musical (its book written by Doug Wright) that premiered on Broadway in 2013 and features 10 competitors. (There were 24 in the actual ’95 competition.) Among the contestants, there are strong personalities, including the coarse, no-nonsense Janis Curtis (Nancy Teerlinck), optimistic and devout Norma Valverde (Favor Buchi), and determined but debilitated JD Drew (Andrew Foote). Director Danny Gorman’s production recreates the tension and voyeuristic appeal of this winner-takes-all competition, and we saw the matinée on August 8.
Kitty: Before the show started, Tommy Ranieri, the Timber Lake Playhouse's artistic director, asked the audience for a show of hands: Who had seen Hands on a Hardbody on stage before?
Mischa: And no one had. He was clearly making the point that this show is not so well known to the general public. And really, the premise seems a little dubious for a stage musical.
K: Absolutely. I don’t want to become known as a hater of musical theatre – I like musicals, I promise! But I do think this story would have more impact as a straight play. The show seems stymied by the writers’ apparent need to give each character a featured song, which ultimately confined the character development to a single musical number. Very few of the contestants were given any meaningful attention beyond their designated song, which made it difficult for the characters to develop in more nuanced or sustained ways.
M: And those songs were also trying too hard to address big “issues” that demonstrated how darn significant each character was – such as Chris Alvaro (Carter Minor) expressing the angst of a young Marine recently back from overseas deployment (“Stronger”), or Jesus Pena (Jose-Emilio Escoto) telling his family history as a rebuke to a suggestion that he might be undocumented (“Born in Laredo”). The performers were good, but the writing was too self-important.
K: Yes, it was difficult to see the forest for the trees, so to speak, when it came to finding a clear point of view. The antagonists – aggressive and bigoted previous winner Benny Perkins (Daniel Pippert) and skeezy dealership owner Mike Ferris (Joey Baciocco) – were obvious because they were so two-dimensionally villainous. But there was no obvious protagonist. Each contestant was intriguing but underdeveloped. And I felt like that undercut my anticipation for the contest’s outcome.
M: Sometimes, though, the sheer exuberance of a particular number and its performer did break free of that muddiness. Buchi’s gospel song “Joy of the Lord,” which started a cappella, slowly added other vocalists, then incorporated complex and inventive usage of the truck itself for percussive effects. It was absolutely thrilling.
K: Buchi’s Norma was my favorite character. I felt like she was the most deserving of the win. Although one message the show managed to convey was that every competitor was deserving in their own way. Each of them had faced hardships, and they were all fighting to overcome circumstances that had worked against them. In that sense, their stories are a reminder that we all carry our own misfortunes and that there’s something universal in the fight to overcome them.
M: One song that quite successfully captured the struggles of people more broadly was the nostalgic “Used to Be,” delivered by Foote with calm melancholy. Really, there were no weak spots when it came to the actual song performances.
K: That’s true. Another example of the abundant musical talent was the wistful duet “I’m Gone.” Danielle Serrano-Bremer and Connor Zeidman harmonized beautifully during that number. Their expressive delivery and natural onstage chemistry made the duet especially memorable. I also liked how they incorporated the truck into the choreography pretty organically thanks to Gorman, who choreographed as well as directed the show.
M: The truck itself really is the most dominating presence throughout! That’s good, in terms of visual focus, but it’s also a constant problem to solve. As competitors, most of the actors are in physical contact with the truck a lot of the time. They try hard to change things up to make it interesting, but it’s a challenge.
K: That’s why it’s so helpful to have a turntable! And this might be one of the best uses of Timber Lake’s turntable I’ve seen to date. In a show that has real potential to become visually stagnant, Gorman kept the stage picture fresh by frequently rotating the truck to give the audience a different view of the action. Scenic designer Cameron Strandin (alongside lighting designer Heather Reynolds) also made the truck’s headlights dimmable so that they could be directly incorporated into the lighting plot.
M: Overall, I’d say everyone involved with Hands on a Hardbody did a fine job with material that was a little lackluster. The story behind the show really is a fascinating slice of American life, and I’d strongly recommend watching that original documentary to see what inspired this musical.
Hands on a Hardbody runs at the Timber Lake Playhouse (8215 Black Oak Road, Mt. Carroll) through August 16, and more information and tickets are available by calling (815)244-2035 and visiting TimberLakePlayhouse.org.
