I don’t get star-struck, not any more. But I was nervous about meeting one of Broadway’s biggest stars.
Tyrone McHansely set the Great White Way alight with his astonishing, bold, brash performance in Hand To God when it was first seen in New York. Granted, he didn’t win a Tony for his performance, but that was clearly the biggest oversight in that fine awards ceremony’s history.
Now he’s over here, bringing Hand To God to London with a new all-British cast and a new performer, former Harry Potter star Harry Melling, putting his hand up inside him and working his mouth.
Oh yes, Tyrone is a sock puppet.
But what a puppet he is. His presence in the tale about a boy struggling to cope with the death of his father, gives Jason, the boy played by Harry Melling, an outlet for all the feelings normally kept locked up inside.
With such an outspoken star in town, and the eloquent and erudite Melling also happy to chat, we met the pair to find out more about the new play dubbed “Sesame Street meets The Exorcist” by The New Yorker. Watch the video at the top of the page.
Hand To God runs at the Vaudeville theatre until 11 June. You can book tickets through us here.