Hands on a Hardbody

by Doug Wright, Amanda Green (Composer), Trey Anastasio (Composer)

Nominee! 2013 Outer Critics Circle Award, Outstanding New Broadway Musical
Nominee! 2013 Outer Critics Circle Award, Outstanding New Score
Nominee! 2013 Drama Desk Award, Outstanding Musical
Nominee! 2013 Drama Desk Award, Outstanding Music
Nominee! 2013 Drama Desk Award, Outstanding Lyrics
Nominee! 2013 Drama Desk Award, Outstanding Book of a Musical
Nominee! 3 Tony Awards, including Best Original Score, 2013
For 10 hard-luck Texans, a new lease on life is so close they can touch it. Under a scorching sun for days on end, armed with nothing but hope, humor and ambition, they'll fight to keep at least one hand on a brand-new truck in order to win it. In the hilarious, hard-fought contest that is "Hands on a Hardbody" only one winner can drive away with the American Dream.
Inspired by the true events of the acclaimed 1997 documentary of the same name by S.R. Bindler, produced by Kevin Morris and Bindler.

Genres: Plays

112 pages, Paperback

First published December 24, 2013

About the author

Doug Wright is an American playwright, librettist, and screenwriter. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2004 for his play, I Am My Own Wife.

Reviews

[Jessie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ll be playing the character of Heather in a community theater production in January. This musical is a little hokey, but it’s funny and quite touching in some spots. Should be a fun show!

[Larry Spinner · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title is misleading, but it is a great show. The story is taken from a real event, when a car dealership held a contest to win a brand new truck. All they had to do to win was be the last person standing, with their hand on the truck. The characters are also based on a few of the real contestants, exposing their inner thoughts and reasons for being there. The music is wonderful and the lyrics exemplify the inner feelings of the participants. It is a good read, a great musical to see and an amazing play to direct. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing that you can get so much story and drama and humour and heart out of a show that is essentially 10 people standing around a truck ❤️

[Jessica López-Barkl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just read this play yesterday after having heard the CD over the past few months. I thought it would be a good offering as a musical for SUNY Sullivan because the stories that are intertwined in the musical are very similar to the human dramas playing out in Sullivan County.

The characters are based off real people from the 1997 documentary about a "Hands on a Hardbody" competition in Longview, TX, but the stories of poverty, PTSD, relationships, and hopes/dreams of young people in a dead-end town don't really differentiate from the stories that anyone could find in any given small town American Town that relied on industries that are either (now) overseas or passe.

I also, not-so-secretly, wanted to offer this because it is the first musical co-written with Trey Anastasio (the lead guitarist/composer for Phish - a band I coveted years ago and still admire), so...why not?

Also, the performance tracks and rehearsal software is available through Samuel French, so...my fledgling theater department at SUNY Sullivan can make this one happen with only finding the Nissan truck set piece as a difficulty...