Hands on a Hardbody Is Another Winner for RLT!

Now calm down -- the body in question is a truck, OK? And Raleigh Little Theatre's production of Hands on a Hardbody, playing now through Sunday, June 18th, in RLT's Cantey V. Sutton Theatre, is a musical about a win-a-pickup contest that takes place at a Nissan® dealership in Longview, Texas. It features music by Trey Anastasio and Amanda Green, lyrics by Green, and a book by Doug Wright. (You can learn about the actual, real-life event in a 1997 documentary by the same name, directed by S.R. Bindler.)

Real quick: This dealership is running a promotion whereby 10 people must remain standing and keep one hand on a brand-new red truck, only taking a break every six hours. The last person standing wins the truck.

The odds seem to be one-out-of-ten, right? Unless, of course, somebody cheats, or a few of the competitors "team up," or somebody harasses one of them, etc. (Spoiler alert: There is an actual truck on stage, and the actors actually push it around while singing, dancing, and bantering.)

In addition to meeting the 10 competitors, prepare to meet the spouses of two of them, two members of the Nissan dealership, a doctor, and a larger-than-life radio personality. Then prepare for an evening of fun, getting to know these people. At the same time, prepare to be somewhat enlightened regarding the realities of their lives. (And there is more than a little food-for-thought thrown in for good measure.)

Director/choreographer Brian Westbrook has assembled a great group of gifted actors, including CJ Pollack as Frank Nugent, Mairym Azcona as Norma Valverde, Tim Holt as J.D. Drew, Kelley Swaim Keats as Virginia Drew, Tim Poliquin as Benny Perkins, Justin Jones as Greg Wilhote, Nunna Noe as Kelli Mangrum, Kevin Aponte as Jesus Peña, Ty Alexander Myatt as Chris Alvaro, Juan Isler as Ronald McCowan, Emma K. Johnson as Heather Stovall, Natalie Turgeon as Cindy Barnes, Dylan Renken as Mike Ferris, Karen Morgan-Williams as Janis Curtis, and Thom Haynes as Don Curtis/Dr. Stokes.

Brian Westbrook has coaxed top-notch performances out of all of them, and he and co-choreographer Aya Wallace have teamed up to provide imaginative dance routines that are unexpectedly lively. (Let me be clear: 10 hands remain on the body of the truck as they dance themselves and the truck back-and-forth, up-and-downstage.)

Thanks to scenic designers Shannon Clark and Hope H. Hammond, the action moves seamlessly from the site of the competition into the dealership office and back again. Costume designer Jenny Mitchell has clothed all 15 actors appropriately for this array of 1990s personalities. With lighting design byDarby Madewell and sound design by Todd Houseknecht, this production moves at a brisk pace -- even during the "soul-searching" moments.

The win-a-pickup contest is only supposed to have one winner, but I would argue that there are definitely several winners in the story that unfolds. In fact, I consider that this production makes every member of the audience also a winner.

With Hands on a Hardbody, Raleigh Little Theatre has yet another hit that I am happy to recommend; and judging by the reactions of my fellow audience members, I am sure that the verdict is unanimous.

Trey Anastasio, Amanda Green, and Doug Wright's HANDS ON A HARDBODY (In Person at 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday, June 8-11 and 15-18), based on S.R. Bindler's 1997 documentary Hands on a Hardbody, RLT musical directed and choreographed by Brian Westbrook, co-choreographed Aya Wallace, and starring CJ Pollack as Frank Nugent, Mairym Azcona as Norma Valverde, Tim Holt as J.D. Drew, Kelley Swaim Keats as Virginia Drew, Tim Poliquin as Benny Perkins, Justin Jones as Greg Wilhote, Nunna Noe as Kelli Mangrum, Kevin Aponte as Jesus Pena, Ty Alexander Myatt as Chris Alvaro, Juan Isler as Ronald McCowan, Emma K. Johnson as Heather Stovall, Natalie Turgeon as Cindy Barnes, Dylan Renken as Mike Ferris, Karen Morgan-Williams as Janis Curtis, and Thom Haynes as Don Curtis/Dr. Stokes (Raleigh Little Theatre in the Cantey V. Sutton Theatre in Raleigh). THE PRESENTER/VENUE: https://raleighlittletheatre.org/, https://www.facebook.com/RLT1936, https://www.instagram.com/RLT1936/, https://twitter.com/RLT1936, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raleigh_Little_Theatre, and https://www.youtube.com/user/raleighlittletheatre. 2022-23 SEASON: https://raleighlittletheatre.org/shows-and-events/. RLT PODCAST: https://anchor.fm/rltpodcast. SEATING CHARTS: https://raleighlittletheatre.org/visit-us/seating-charts/. DIRECTIONS: https://raleighlittletheatre.org/visit-us/. MAPS/PARKING/TRANSIT: https://raleighlittletheatre.org/visit-us/maps-and-parking/. ACCESSIBILITY: https://raleighlittletheatre.org/visit-us/accessibility/. COVID REQUIREMENTS: https://raleighlittletheatre.org/reopening-rlt/. HANDS ON A HARDBODY (2012 La Jolla Playhouse and 2013 Broadway Musical): http://www.handsonahardbody.com/, https://www.concordtheatricals.com/p/10116/hands-on-a-hardbody, https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-show/hands-on-a-hardbody-493525, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hands_on_a_Hardbody_(musical). NOTE 1: This show is recommended for ages 12+. NOTE 2: All shows are wheelchair accessible, and assistive-listening devices are available for all shows. NOTE 3: Arts Access, Inc. of Raleigh will audio-describe the show's 3 p.m. Sunday, June 11th, performance. TICKETS: $27 ($23 students and seniors 62+), plus taxes and fees. Click here to buy tickets. INFORMATION: 919-821-3111 or BoxOffice@RaleighLittleTheatre.org. PLEASE DONATE TO: Raleigh Little Theatre.

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