La Jolla Playhouse Premieres HANDS ON A HARDBODY, Now thru 6/10

La Jolla Playhouse announces its first production of the 2012/13 season: the world-premiere musical Hands on a Hardbody, written by Pulitzer Prize winner and La Jolla Playhouse 2011 Gala Honoree Doug Wright (I Am My Own Wife), Amanda Green (Bring It On: The Musical) and Trey Anastasio of the popular band Phish, with direction by Neil Pepe (Speed-the-Plow) and choreography by Benjamin Millepied (BLACK SWAN), running tonight, April 27 through June 10, 2012 in the Mandell Weiss Theatre.

The Playhouse commissioned Hands on a Hardbody and further developed it through a series of readings and workshops, as part of the institution's mission to serve as a launching pad for new work.

When an auto dealership in Longview, TX launches an endurance contest, ten economically-strapped strangers embark on a journey that puts their hearts, minds and bodies to the test. The contestant who keeps at least one hand on a brand-new hardbody truck the longest gets to drive it off the lot. What initially seems like a mere publicity stunt soon becomes a soul-baring battle of wills. Only one can win, but for all involved, the truck holds the key to their own private American dream.

Based on the documentary film of the same name, Hands on a Hardbody features a brilliant rock, folk and country score from Amanda Green and Trey Anastasio, along with a masterful story by Pulitzer Prize winner Doug Wright, whose work has been showcased at The Playhouse with Creditors and I Am My Own Wife.

"We are ecstatic to launch our new season with a project we've shepherded through the commission, reading and workshop phases and now to a full production on our stage," said Playhouse Artistic Director Christopher Ashley. "This thrilling new piece offers a trenchant slice of Americana that explores the most exuberant and most troubling aspects of our competitive spirit."
The nationally acclaimed, Tony Award-winning La Jolla Playhouse is known for its tradition of creating the most exciting and adventurous new work in regional theatre. Founded in 1947 by Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire and Mel Ferrer, The Playhouse is considered one of the most well-respected not-for-profit theatres in the country. Numerous Playhouse productions have moved to Broadway, including Big River, The Who's Tommy, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, A Walk in the Woods, Billy Crystal's 700 Sundays, the Pulitzer Prize-winning I Am My Own Wife, Jersey Boys, Thoroughly Modern Millie, The Farnsworth Invention, 33 Variations and the 2010 Tony Award-winning musical Memphis. Located on the UC San Diego campus, La Jolla Playhouse is made up of three primary performance spaces: the Mandell Weiss Theatre, the Mandell Weiss Forum Theatre, and the Joan and Irwin Jacobs Center for La Jolla Playhouse, a state-of-the-Art Theatre complex which features the Sheila and Hughes Potiker Theatre. La Jolla Playhouse is led by Artistic Director Christopher Ashley and Managing Director Michael S. Rosenberg.

 

 

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