Heartbreaker

I remember coming to New York in 1979 as a tourist, standing in the TKTS line and hearing people sneer at the idea of a show called SWEENEY TODD. "It's about turning people into HAMBURGER, for God's sake", somebody barked. Well, apparently the same thing is happening to a beautiful little show called HANDS ON A HARDBODY. Not only can the general public not get their heads around the title but "It's about a TRUCK, for God's sake!"

TT and I had seen the workshop presentation a couple of years ago thanks to our darling Keala Settle from PRISCILLA and we were totally blown away by the piece. Seeing it on Broadway yesterday at a Wednesday matinee nearly all the same elements were there to be savoured and yet I could hear rumblings of disappointment in the audience. Is it really true that we must simply follow Nellie Melba's instruction, "Sing 'em muck"?

The show is a slice of life portrait of an endurance test: ten ordinary people in Longview, Texas standing with their hands on a truck. Last man standing wins the truck. There are personality clashes, romances, sex, secrets and lies. It has elements of A CHORUS LINE and THEY SHOOT HORSES, DON'T THEY?

The cast are all wonderful across the board and I'm told they're heartbroken that their show has been met with such a lukewarm reception despite largely positive reviews. There is no doubt business would be helped if the company could perform some of the numbers on television but the publicists seem to have dropped the bundle.

Keala's roof raising showstopping number "Joy of the Lord" will hopefully be chosen to appear on the TONY Awards and I'm sure the show and cast will also be nominated but the general feeling is that by then it could be too late.

Cheap tickets are available through several outlets so if you haven't seen HANDS ON A HARDBODY....save this show!!!!! For the sake of good musical theatre.