Hands on a Hardbody

Opened: March 21, 2013
Closing: April 13, 2013

Hands on a Hardbody - 2013 - Broadway History , Info & More

For ten 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.



The world premiere production of HANDS ON A HARDBODY opened on May 12, 2012 at La Jolla Playhouse.

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FEATURED REVIEWS FOR Hands on a Hardbody

Small-Town Dreams
8 / 10

Broadway has been sorely in need of a new musical that touches the heart without insulting the intelligence. Now it's got one. "Hands on a Hardbody," in which 10 cash-strapped Texans take part in an endurance contest whose winner will drive home a brand-new pickup truck, is a deeply felt, emotionally true portrait of recession-era American life. The show's unlikely-sounding premise-each of the contestants must keep one hand on the truck until they either give up or collapse-ends up being the occasion for an evening that is by turns festive and thought-provokingly dark. Think "Once," only with a much better score.

Cast is game, lyrics lame
7 / 10

The endearing, motley crew with a paw on the Nissan includes the underdog older man with knee problems (Keith Carradine), a blustery former winner (Hunter Foster), a cheery guy who just eats Snickers (Jacob Ming-Trent), a crotchety woman cheered by her devoted husband (Dale Soules, William Youmans), and a religious devotee supported by her church’s prayer chain (the show’s breakout, Keala Settle).

BWW Flashback: HANDS ON A HARDBODY Leaves Broadway, Drives Into Sunset by BWW Special Coverage - April 13, 2013

HANDS ON A HARDBODY will play its final performance tonight, April 13, 2013, after playing 28 preview and 28 regular performances at Broadway's Brooks Atkinson Theatre (256 West 47th Street). Hands on a Hardbody began previews on Saturday, February 23, 2013 and officially opened on Thursday, March 21, 2013. Below, BroadwayWorld takes you back through HANDS ON A HARDBODY's journey from La Jolla to Broadway!

In the Spotlight Series: HANDS ON A HARDBODY's Jon Rua by Walter McBride - April 13, 2013

The new American musical Hands on a Hardbody just celebrated opening night on March 21, at Broadway's Brooks Atkinson Theatre (256 West 47th Street). Check out photos of Jon Rua in the BroadwayWorld.com series 'In The Spotlight' by acclaimed photographer Walter McBride below!

In the Spotlight Series: HANDS ON A HARDBODY's Kathleen Elizabeth Monteleone by Walter McBride - April 12, 2013

The new American musical Hands on a Hardbody just celebrated opening night on March 21, at Broadway's Brooks Atkinson Theatre (256 West 47th Street). Check out photos of Kathleen Elizabeth Monteleone in the BroadwayWorld.com series 'In The Spotlight' by acclaimed photographer Walter McBride below!

In the Spotlight Series: HANDS ON A HARDBODY's Jay Armstrong Johnson by Walter McBride - April 11, 2013

The new American musical Hands on a Hardbody just celebrated opening night on March 21, at Broadway's Brooks Atkinson Theatre (256 West 47th Street). Check out photos of Jay Armstrong Johnson in the BroadwayWorld.com series 'In The Spotlight' by acclaimed photographer Walter McBride below!

In the Spotlight Series: HANDS ON A HARDBODY's Keala Settle by Walter McBride - April 11, 2013

The new American musical Hands on a Hardbody just celebrated opening night on March 21, at Broadway's Brooks Atkinson Theatre (256 West 47th Street). Check out photos of Keala Settle in the BroadwayWorld.com series 'In The Spotlight' by acclaimed photographer Walter McBride below!

In the Spotlight Series: HANDS ON A HARDBBODY's Dale Soules by Walter McBride - April 12, 2013

The new American musical Hands on a Hardbody just celebrated opening night on March 21, at Broadway's Brooks Atkinson Theatre (256 West 47th Street). Check out photos of Dale Soules in the BroadwayWorld.com series 'In The Spotlight' by acclaimed photographer Walter McBride below!

In the Spotlight Series: HANDS ON A HARDBODY's Jacob Ming-Trent by Walter McBride - April 13, 2013

The new American musical Hands on a Hardbody just celebrated opening night on March 21, at Broadway's Brooks Atkinson Theatre (256 West 47th Street). Check out photos of Jacob Ming-Trent in the BroadwayWorld.com series 'In The Spotlight' by acclaimed photographer Walter McBride below!

Breaking News: HANDS ON A HARDBODY to Close on Broadway, April 13 by BWW News Desk - April 8, 2013

HANDS ON A HARDBODY will play its final performance on Saturday, April 13, 2013 at 8pm after playing 28 preview and 28 regular performances at Broadway's Brooks Atkinson Theatre (256 West 47th Street). HANDS ON A HARDBODY began previews on Saturday, February 23, 2013 and officially opened on Thursday, March 21, 2013.

In The Spotlight Series: HANDS ON A HARDBODY's Keith Carradine by Walter McBride - April 8, 2013

The new American musical Hands on a Hardbody just celebrated opening night on March 21, at Broadway's Brooks Atkinson Theatre (256 West 47th Street). Check out photos of Keith Carradine in the BroadwayWorld.com series 'In The Spotlight' by acclaimed photographer Walter McBride below!

Review - Hands On A Hardbody: They Shoot Documentaries, Don't They? by Michael Dale - April 3, 2013

'Don't make any judgments. / Let The Players play,' sing the characters of Hands On A Hardbody out to an audience sitting in seats priced at what might be the same amount as the weekly unemployment checks some of them are struggling to survive on.

'Get Your HANDS on a Ticket to HARDBODY' and Save! by BWW News Desk - April 4, 2013

Don't miss the all-new, all-American musical that just drove onto Broadway, HANDS ON A HARDBODY. Inspired by true events, and infused with a 'fresh roots-rock vibe' (The New York Times), this is the hilarious, hard-fought contest where only one winner can drive away with the American dream. If you haven't seen it yet, get your hands on a ticket today!

In the Spotlight Series: HANDS ON A HARDBODY's Hunter Foster by Walter McBride - April 3, 2013

The new American musical Hands on a Hardbody just celebrated opening night on March 21, at Broadway's Brooks Atkinson Theatre (256 West 47th Street). Check out photos of Hunter Foster in the BroadwayWorld.com series 'In The Spotlight' by acclaimed photographer Walter McBride below!

THE FRIDAY SIX: Q&As with Your Favorite Broadway Stars- Allison Case by BWW - March 29, 2013

In this week's edition, we caught up with Allison Case, who is starring as 'Kelli Mangrum' in Hands on a Hardbody- currently playing at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre.

BWW TV Exclusive: The Real Contestants of HANDS ON A HARDBODY- William Youmans Talks Don Curtis! by BroadwayWorld TV - April 2, 2013

The new American musical Hands on a Hardbody just celebrated opening night on March 21, at Broadway's Brooks Atkinson Theatre (256 West 47th Street). Inspired by true events and based on the acclaimed 1997 documentary of the same name, the musical tells the story of ten Texans with dreams of changing their lives by winning a truck. BroadwayWorld recently chatted with the show's stars about bringing the stories of real people to life on the Broadway stage, and in the video below, William Youmans discusses his real-life counterpart- Don Curtis.

BWW TV Exclusive: The Real Contestants of HANDS ON A HARDBODY- Hunter Foster Talks Benny Perkins! by BroadwayWorld TV - April 8, 2013

The new American musical Hands on a Hardbody just celebrated opening night on March 21, at Broadway's Brooks Atkinson Theatre (256 West 47th Street). Inspired by true events and based on the acclaimed 1997 documentary of the same name, the musical tells the story of ten Texans with dreams of changing their lives by winning a truck. BroadwayWorld recently chatted with the show's stars about bringing the stories of real people to life on the Broadway stage, and in this final video of the series, Hunter Foster discusses his real-life counterpart- Benny Perkins.

BWW TV Exclusive: The Real Contestants of HANDS ON A HARDBODY- Jacob Ming-Trent Talks Ronald McCowan! by BroadwayWorld TV - April 5, 2013

The new American musical Hands on a Hardbody just celebrated opening night on March 21, at Broadway's Brooks Atkinson Theatre (256 West 47th Street). Inspired by true events and based on the acclaimed 1997 documentary of the same name, the musical tells the story of ten Texans with dreams of changing their lives by winning a truck. BroadwayWorld recently chatted with the show's stars about bringing the stories of real people to life on the Broadway stage, and in the video below, Jacod Ming-Trent discusses his real-life counterpart- Ronald McCowan.

BWW TV Exclusive: The Real Contestants of HANDS ON A HARDBODY- Connie Ray Talks Jan Maynard! by BroadwayWorld TV - April 3, 2013

The new American musical Hands on a Hardbody just celebrated opening night on March 21, at Broadway's Brooks Atkinson Theatre (256 West 47th Street). Inspired by true events and based on the acclaimed 1997 documentary of the same name, the musical tells the story of ten Texans with dreams of changing their lives by winning a truck. BroadwayWorld recently chatted with the show's stars about bringing the stories of real people to life on the Broadway stage, and in the video below, Connie Ray discusses her real-life counterpart- Cindy Barnes.

BWW TV Exclusive: The Real Contestants of HANDS ON A HARDBODY- Mary Gordon Murray Talks Virginia Drew! by BroadwayWorld TV - April 4, 2013

The new American musical Hands on a Hardbody just celebrated opening night on March 21, at Broadway's Brooks Atkinson Theatre (256 West 47th Street). Inspired by true events and based on the acclaimed 1997 documentary of the same name, the musical tells the story of ten Texans with dreams of changing their lives by winning a truck. BroadwayWorld recently chatted with the show's stars about bringing the stories of real people to life on the Broadway stage, and in the video below, Mary Gordon Murray discusses her real-life counterpart- Virginia Drew.

BWW TV Exclusive: The Real Contestants of HANDS ON A HARDBODY- Keith Carradine Talks JD Drew! by BroadwayWorld TV - March 31, 2013

The new American musical Hands on a Hardbody just celebrated opening night on March 21, at Broadway's Brooks Atkinson Theatre (256 West 47th Street). Inspired by true events and based on the acclaimed 1997 documentary of the same name, the musical tells the story of ten Texans with dreams of changing their lives by winning a truck. BroadwayWorld recently chatted with the show's stars about bringing the stories of real people to life on the Broadway stage, and in the video below, Keith Carradine discusses his real-life counterpart- JD Drew.

BWW TV Exclusive: The Real Contestants of HANDS ON A HARDBODY- Keala Settle Talks Norma Valverde! by BroadwayWorld TV - March 30, 2013

The new American musical Hands on a Hardbody just celebrated opening night on March 21, at Broadway's Brooks Atkinson Theatre (256 West 47th Street). Inspired by true events and based on the acclaimed 1997 documentary of the same name, the musical tells the story of ten Texans with dreams of changing their lives by winning a truck. BroadwayWorld recently chatted with the show's stars about bringing the stories of real people to life on the Broadway stage, and in the video below, Keala Settle discusses her real-life counterpart- Norma Valverde.

Hands on a Hardbody FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Hands on a Hardbody has had 1 productions including Broadway which opened in 2013.
Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre for Trey Anastasio and Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre for Amanda Green.
Outstanding Book of a Musical (Drama Desk Awards) for Doug Wright, Outstanding Choreography (Drama Desk Awards) for Sergio Trujillo, Outstanding Lyrics (Drama Desk Awards) for Amanda Green, Outstanding Music (Drama Desk Awards) for Trey Anastasio, Outstanding Musical (Drama Desk Awards), Outstanding Orchestrations (Drama Desk Awards) for Trey Anastasio, Outstanding Orchestrations (Drama Desk Awards) for Don Hart, Outstanding Sound Design in a Musical (Drama Desk Awards) for Steve Canyon Kennedy, Outstanding New Broadway Musical (Outer Critics Circle Awards)Outstanding New Score (Broadway or Off-Broadway) (Outer Critics Circle Awards) and Theatre World Award (Theatre World Awards) for Keala Settle.
Outstanding Book of a Musical (Drama Desk Awards) for Doug Wright Outstanding Choreography (Drama Desk Awards) for Sergio Trujillo Outstanding Lyrics (Drama Desk Awards) for Amanda Green Outstanding Music (Drama Desk Awards) for Trey Anastasio Outstanding Musical (Drama Desk Awards) Outstanding Orchestrations (Drama Desk Awards) for Trey Anastasio Outstanding Orchestrations (Drama Desk Awards) for Don Hart Outstanding Sound Design in a Musical (Drama Desk Awards) for Steve Canyon Kennedy Outstanding New Broadway Musical (Outer Critics Circle Awards) Outstanding New Score (Broadway or Off-Broadway) (Outer Critics Circle Awards) Theatre World Award (Theatre World Awards) for Keala Settle.

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