'Hands on a Hardbody' turns silly contest into drama - Battle Creek Enquirer
The Tony-nominated “Hands on a Hardbody” features some plum roles for Barnies richly deserving significant stage time to display their talents. “Hands on a Hardbody” is set in small-town America, where mom-and-pop stores are slowly consumed by Walmarts and the Applebees. The musical charts the course of 10 people who have signed up for a wacky endurance contest at a car dealership. Whoever can keep his or her hands on a truck the longest (no leaning, no squatting) wins a bright red Nissan. As characters vie for position, their stories unfold in nearly 20 musical numbers. Composed by former Phish leader Trey Anastasio and Amanda Green (“Bring it On: the Musical”), the music serves up songs that we might hear wafting across the empty motel parking lots off highways less-trafficked since the building of the new... Here he returns to real human drama with another documentary, a 1997 film by S. R. Bindler featuring an actual endurance contest run by a car dealership in Longview, Texas. Each character enters the contest with an eye on the prize, lamenting economic down times in what once was a boom town, a reality echoed by the struggling car dealership that may close if its unusual promotion does boost sales. Source: www.battlecreekenquirer.com
