Hand to God

I watched Hand to God at the Wyndams Theatre and give it a 5/5 rating.

Terribly funny and weird, the play is an American comedy that revolves around a boy and his mother grieving over his father but separately. She turns to God, at least she tries. The boy turns to a puppet. The puppet becomes his alter ego, cruel and hateful and begins to control his life. And what follows is drama that is crazy and hilarious.

The sets are simple yet attention to detail gives it a certain sense of completeness that it absorbs us. The story is pretty simplistic and American which is why I think it got bad reviews in British newspapers. To me it is comedy that grows on you. The play however, was largely upheld by the wonderful actors. Harry Melling was masterful with his puppet and his split personality as a shy awkward teenager and the vicious puppet. Jemima Rooper plays his crush, a quirky teenager who is able to connect with him better than any of the well-meaning adults. She has a sarcastic sense of humour and wonderful in her short scene as a puppeteer. The others, his mother, the pastor at the church, the cool/bad boy, all fill their roles with ease.

Irrespective of the reviews it got, I think it was an entertaining play and I would highly recommend.

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