When the theater announcements talked about a naughty hand puppet, I ordered tickets. Hand to God is a funny/sad play in the vein of Book of Mormon, but not as satirical. It’s about a teenage boy and his recently widowed mother, each grieving in their unique way.
The Rector of their Lutheran Church (This takes place in the south, so I would have thought Baptist, but the playwright gets to select his religion.) suggests that Mom conduct a puppet therapy class for troubled teens. Mom lets her rage out having sex with a teenage boy in her class and her son, Jason, gets involved with his hand puppet in all the imaginable teen-age boy ways. Eventually, the puppet takes over and mayhem results. Funny, yes, and in the end, tender.
The stars, Curtis Edward Jackson and his hand, were wonderful. He fully captured the dual role making both believable. Skillful puppet work. The rest of the cast were equally fine. My favorite scene was the boy talking with a female puppet-class mate while their hand puppets are having rather explicit sex in their puppeteers’ laps. Yes, it is that sort of play. A rousing Prince!