Chicago Tribune - Highly Recommended
"...Still, "Hand to God" would be a much lesser play if it were not so underscored with compassion for every character it creates. That's not just Jason, but his mother, whom Snow, an actress of whom we see not nearly enough, essays with unstinting affection and even the Pastor, whom Slater plays as clinging desperately to what little authority he has been afforded, even in the face of his own desires."
Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended
"...The best puppets take on a life of their own so that you suddenly find yourself detached from the puppeteer and wholly focused on the once inanimate object that has suddenly assumed a voice, movement style and opinions that are all its own. It is a very weird phenomenon, to say the least, and an ancient theatrical form. And nowhere have I seen the whole thing done with more skill, wit, conviction and pure demonic glee than in "Hand to God," the Broadway hit by Robert Askins now in its Chicago premiere at Victory Gardens Theater, where Alex Weisman is giving a wholly breathtaking virtuosic performance."
Time Out Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...Robert Askins’s foul-mouthed, gold-hearted comedy begins with a brief sermon by the Devil. Tyrone, the blue-furred shock puppet we’re about to meet attached to the hand of shy, troubled Texas teen Jason (Alex Weisman), takes us briefly through the prehistory of right and wrong, reminding us that they’re societal constructs. That (tinted) view is good prep for what comes after, as Tyrone, the product of a church youth group run by Jason’s mother Margery (Janelle Snow, with a perfectly clipped Texas twang) from the end of her rope, begins to express Jason’s darkest thoughts. Tyrone’s persona is something like Triumph the Insult Comic Dog on a steady diet of hellfire—and no one seems as shocked as Jason himself."
Stage and Cinema - Recommended
"...Religion and raunch make strange (sometimes suitable) bedfellows. An epilogue, delivered by an unsubdued Tyrone, reprises the moral: We invoke the Devil to find God. Whatever. It sure makes for lots of laffs on Lincoln Avenue."
ChicagoCritic - Highly Recommended
"...Playwright Robert Askins weaves comedy into his scathing satire of fundamental Christian beliefs while adding a twist on the grieving process. This is a funny, well staged comedy that features fine work by the entire cast. Janrlle Snow and Curtis Edward Jackson were also most effective. This is one of the best shows Victory Gardens Theater has mounted in years!"
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...It is not often that I will say a show is a MUST SEE, but, unless you have a problem with coming of age and plays that deal with interpretations of the bible that are not consistent with your own beliefs, I suggest you see "Hand To God" now on the main stage at The Victory Gardens Theater."
Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended
"...Don’t assume, however, that this play, because it features puppets, is a family show. This very adult play, filled with four-letter expletives and simulated sex, may be viewed as a supernatural story or a cautionary tale about the extreme effects of sublimated anger. But, at the heart of this tale, we have a moving, heartfelt story about people facing grief, fear and honesty, however controversial and soul-searching. This is an evening of theatre audiences will never forget because the devil most certainly is in the details."
Chicagoland Theater Reviews - Highly Recommended
"..."Hand to God" is the most produced play of the season in American regional theater (excluding plays by Shakespeare and traditional Christmas seasonal presentations). Thirteen theaters are doing the play, a tribute to the many companies willing to take a chance on what could be a hugely controversial vehicle, never mind the daunting requirements of the staging. One hopes audiences at the other 12 theaters will be fortunate enough to witness a production as fully realized as the one on Lincoln Avenue. Viewers can take the play as a riot of obscene hilarity or as a portrait of an unstable youth ready to explode from the internal pressures in his mind. Any way an audience chooses to accept "Hand of God," it's a scorching, rollicking, essential experience."
The Fourth Walsh - Highly Recommended
"...Snow, Jackson, Ganet, Weisman and Eric Slater (Pastor Greg) find the humanity under the puppets and the religious fervor. We care about each of them and what is/will happen to them. HAND OF GOD is a gripping tale of redemption. Each of the characters wrestles with his/her/it's own demons. It's a thought-provoking circus which will leave you nauseous, breathless and amazed. I highly recommend HAND OF GOD."
Third Coast Review - Recommended
"...Askin's script is brimming with supernatural and satanic events, but the piece is ultimately a character drama and meditation on the need for some balance of good and bad for humankind to ultimately grow. These messages are hammered home by monologues before and after the main action of the evening, and are served up as sermons by a caustic Tyrone from his puppet pulpit. While both thought-provoking and amusing (Tyrone wistfully discusses a time before society when humans could defecate wherever they please), the meat of this message is handled by Weisman and Snow in their early scenes together, as well as the piece's harrowing climax. These final moments ring particularly true in director Gary Griffin's production, casting Act I's more bold zaniness in a new light."
NewCity Chicago - Recommended
"...Director Gary Griffin's production is sharp, peeling back layers of flesh, blood and tissue until we hit bone. Margery's inability to cope and acknowledge her own issues reflects back on Jason who has his own shit to deal with. Timothy's pubescent love-lust that he can't help but demonstrate balances pastor Greg's impotent lust-love that he's too "pussy" to express. Sexist language aside, the courage required for vulnerability or patience is scarce and God doesn't make an appearance. Instead, the Judeo-Christian He is consigned to proclamations of faith and the weird church posters."
