Hand to God at Paramount Theatre

Daily Herald - Recommended

"...Rarely has the war within been portrayed as wrenchingly and as riotously as it is in director Trent Stork's fiendishly funny revival of "Hand to God," a dark dramedy by Robert Askins that opened Wednesday at Paramount's Copley Theatre."

Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended

"...Directed by Trent Stork, the production is as close to perfect as you want live theater to be (part of the charm of live theater is its imperfection, in the hint of the chaos and possibility for disaster in real time that always hovers in the shadows). The story unfolds gracefully, building over the course of the evening, until the show's dramatic ending."

Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended

"...Six years ago, at the Victory Gardens Theatre, Chicago audiences were treated to a special play, “Hand To God” written by Robert Askins and Sharpley directed by Gary Griffin. That was the year that Chicago saw just what a find Alec Weissman was as Jason/Tyrone ( the main character). It was a Jeff Award winner on several levels and as I watched the Paramount Theatre production in their new Copley Theatre, I felt that under the direction of Trent Stork with a solid tech crew and an amazing cast, “history is about to repeat itself”. Six years ago I said that this play is a MUST SEE! Let me repeat myself- “this production is a Must See and worth the trip to Aurora!"

Chicago On Stage - Highly Recommended

"...Playwright Robert Askins, in his 2011 play Hand to God, now playing at Paramount Aurora’s new Copley Theatre, apparently wished to up the ante. This is a non-musical, very adult Avenue Q on steroids. It isn’t in any way an adorable little puppet play: this is what happens when you cross Avenue Q with something by David Cronenberg. It’s The Hellmuppets. And it is absolutely brilliant."

Splash Magazine - Highly Recommended

"...The Paramount’s latest Bold Series production at the Copley Theatre in Aurora is an absolute tour de force by its five-person cast. It is worth attending just to see these actors do their stuff. There isn’t a single person who isn’t absolutely brilliant in this absolutely crazypants play. And it IS crazypants."

BroadwayWorld - Recommended

"...Each person seeing this production has their own baggage to deal with - be it big baggage or little baggage. Art is personal and thus will trigger how you react to what is happening on the stage. I cannot say enough about this group of actors directed by Trent Stork - bravo Trent! Scenic Designer Jonathan Berg-Einhorn and Lighting Designer Cat Wilson interweave the changing emotions of the characters flawlessly. Final appreciation and applause is given to Spencer Lott the puppetry coach. Copley Theatre is designed to present bold productions and they have succeeded Humans have been subject to all these emotions since existence. Hand to God shows it up close using puppets to possibly soften the blow."

NewCity Chicago - Recommended

"..."Hand to God" is a deeply funny, foul-mouthed play about grief and the necessity of devils. The performances are excellent and skillful, but the production is presented in a fairly safe package. Even so, judging by the deeply divided audience reactions on Saturday, "Hand to God" might be as out-there as some of Paramount's theatergoers can bear. And I think dividing your audience is a good thing. If you want to push boundaries, you might just need to be something of an adversary."