I was a huge fan of Avenue Q (which is, coincidentally, due to play again soon at Wimbledon Theatre) so this new American play – incorporating sock puppets – appealed. And who wouldn’t jump at the chance of some belly laughs during this miserable, cold weather?
We made our way to The Vaudeville Theatre, a delightfully intimate and traditional theatre on The Strand, and listened to the loud Country and Western music (where each tune had a subtly religious message) and gazed upon the stage which was set as a Sunday school in a church hall.
Things got off to a great start as recently widowed Marjory battles to lead a puppet workshop comprising rebellious teen Timothy, her sullen son Jason and quiet Jessica. Jason’s sock puppet – Tyrone – tries to sing while Timothy acts out and bullies the others.
We are introduced to Neil Pearson (much loved from “Drop the dead donkey”) as Pastor Greg. The set slid smoothly between classroom, Jason's bedroom, pastor's office and outdoors and there was even a brief scene in a car journey. Excellent staging.
As Timothy’s behaviour deteriorates and Jason’s puppet Tyrone channels evil and threatens to take over, things accelerate into anarchy. There’re lots of “f” words, furniture being hurled about, violent passion, a tender teen love interest, demonic possession, ear and hand injuries and even sock puppet sex. We laughed out loud throughout.
Harry Melling is absolutely brilliant as Jason and his puppetry skills mean that Tyrone becomes as real as the other characters. There’s a few early scenes where he double-acts at double-quick speed with his puppet which are theatre magic and utterly unforgettable.
It’s definitely not suitable for children (although older teens will love it) or those of a sensitive disposition. But it’s riotous fun for the rest of us.
The first part is an hour and after a short interval, the concluding part is just shy of 45 minutes.
http://handtogod.co.uk/
