Theatre Review: 'Hands on a Hardbody' at Aurora Theatre - Atlanta Intown
Aurora Theatre is presenting the musical “Hands on a Hardbody,” running through May 31, based on a real-life endurance contest in Longview, Texas. Ten contestants must keep their hands on a shiny new pickup truck for hours, which become days. The one who can stand with a hand on the truck the longest wins it. A documentary film of this event was made in 1997. filmmaker Robert Altman was developing a feature film based on the contest when he died. The current production has a book by Doug Wright, lyrics by Amanda Green, and music by Trey Anastasio (of the band Phish) and Ms. Green. It is directed by Brian Clowdus, the Artistic Director of Serenbe Playhouse, choreography by Jen MacQueen, with musical direction by Ann-Carol Pence. The show began life at San Diego’s La Jolla Playhouse in 2012 and had a brief Broadway run in 2013. Anyone who’s seen Sydney Pollock’s 1969 film “They Shoot Horses, Don’t They. ” about a marathon dance contest during the Great Depression will probably have greater empathy for what the characters in “Hardbody” are going through. Happily, the folks in the musical are considerably more upbeat than the people in “They Shoot Horses,” but make no mistake: There is an underlying desperation in both the film and this play. No wonder the actors are holding on, literally, for dear life to that red Nissan truck. Source: www.atlantaintownpaper.com
