HANDS ON A HARDBODY to play the Brooks Atkinson

[ACL2006]

Posted: 10/2/12 at 12:20pm

did anyone see this at La Jolla??
HANDS ON A HARDBODY to play the Brooks Atkinson; Cast & Creative team announced

[Play Esq.]

Posted: 10/2/12 at 12:27pm

Finally something I'm excited about this season.

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 10/2/12 at 12:40pm

Yay!

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 10/2/12 at 1:21pm

I would love to see this and hope it does well. The film is my favorite documentary and I've watched it countless times.

[WSStory]

Posted: 10/2/12 at 1:54pm

Saw it. Loved it!

[ACL2006]

Posted: 10/2/12 at 3:40pm

if someone would be so kind as to explain how they got a show/movie out of 10 people keeping their hands on a new car, I'd appreciate it.

[wildcat]

Posted: 10/2/12 at 3:58pm

Seeing how they do it is part of the fun. It's wonderful.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 10/2/12 at 4:00pm

if someone would be so kind as to explain how they got a show/movie out of 10 people keeping their hands on a new car, I'd appreciate it.

Or you could just watch the movie. I'm sort of surprised by the lack of imagination from a fan of A Chorus Line.

[trentsketch]

Posted: 10/2/12 at 4:24pm

ACL2006, Hands on a Hardbody is a clever documentary. I don't think the director realized what he was stumbling into with this. What could have been a novelty short became a very thoughtful and genuinely exciting documentary.

Essential, the people who showed up to try and win a new truck were all great subjects for a documentary. It's been a while since I've seen the film, so I don't remember all the participants. I know that the story of the religious woman with her entire congregation praying nonstop for her victory was thrilling. The contestants are so sincere and so determined to win that you start to cheer them on in a silly contest.

The contest becomes secondary to the fascinating lives of the contestants. That's why Hands on a Hardbody is so compelling.

[Goggles]

Posted: 10/2/12 at 6:36pm

I saw it in La Jolla, i didnt totally hate it but i also wasn't really a fan. I remember it sort of dragging on and then all of a sudden it needed to end. I remember at one point thinking, i am sitting here watching people win a truck.

[winston89]

Posted: 10/3/12 at 9:05pm

Can anyone who saw it tell me what they thought of the score? The composer, Trey Anastasio, is someone who's music both with his band Phish, and solo, I have loved and been around for years. Can anyone tell me what they thought of the score to this show?

[sundayclothes2]

Posted: 10/3/12 at 9:18pm

Saw it in La Jolla and enjoyed it.
The second act definitely dragged and they need to trim about 20 minutes. Score was good, a few really excellent numbers. Lyrics were pedestrian to the point of distraction.
My biggest complaint is that they never effectively introduce the characters at the beginning. They just show up onstage, and by the time each of them get around to having a solo, they get cut from the competition. They really need an opening number which not only sets up the competition, but introduces all the character (ala I Hope I Get It). Hopefully they made some changes.
Not a very commercial property, but if it catches on with critics (which it probably will based on Isherwoods review) I could easily see this becoming the sleeper hit of the season.

[grumpyoptimist]

Posted: 10/3/12 at 9:36pm

Sundayclothes2 nailed it. "Enjoyed" is the perfect description for me as well. Did I think it would be ready for Broadway this quickly? No. I still have my doubts whether they could have made enough changes (not just tweaks) to make this commercially viable. OTOH, set is relatively simple, so they may be able to keep production expenses down. To me, this show was slightly (but not much) beyond Chaplin (then playing as Limelight) when that show was at La Jolla. But it definitely needed work. I think they could move some of the storytelling in the second act to the first and get you invested in the characters earlier. I did think the cast did well with what they were given and I'm very happy they kept them intact. Carradine KILLS in this show.

Updated On: 10/3/12 at 09:36 PM

[trentsketch]

Posted: 10/3/12 at 9:52pm

SundayClothes, I think the character issue comes from the film. No one is introduced before the competition begins and most are cut right after they get their segment. It's the biggest issue with the film. I just wonder how it could be avoided.

Spelling Bee did a good job introducing a bunch of characters at the top and then giving them all at least one song later. Is there room for a similar device here?

[RippedMan]

Posted: 10/4/12 at 12:54am

I heard some of the score previewed at 54 Below and I'm not a fan. I remember the one song that they sang was just the same like "chorus" over and over again, and the lyrics were awful.

Honestly, I think Amanda Green is pretty bad. Bring It on? High Fidelity? Not so good.

[grumpyoptimist]

Posted: 10/4/12 at 1:19am

Trentsketch, I would think they could take license and deviate from the film where needed as long as the story line is intact. The characters that make it to the second act do get a song and become 3-D. One thing I do want to point out--when it was in La Jolla a friend at the Playhouse told me one night there was a talkback, a guy at the session opened his shirt to reveal he was a past finalist in the contest. He told the cast they nailed the emotion and feel of it.

[uncageg]

Posted: 10/9/12 at 8:26pm

Attended the sneak peek thos evening at Hard Rock NYC. I did not know Keith Carradine was in it. Remembered Hunter Foster was doing it when he walked out onstage. Big cast with great voices. I enjoyed the few numbers they did. One was called "GONE" I think and I would buy the recording just for that song. Anastasio was there along with the rest of the creative team. Will definetly see it.

[grumpyoptimist]

Posted: 10/9/12 at 8:31pm

Keith Carradine and Jon Rua (who I also loved when he did Matthew Lopez' "Somewhere" at the Old Globe in SD) were easily my two favorite parts of the show in La Jolla.