Off-Broadway Access Review -
Nothing Can Take You From the Hand of God
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Image of the Nothing Can Take You From the Hand of God Playbill in front of the stage with the text “Access Review” on top
General Note
This is a review of the accessibility of the theater, of the lighting/sound/scent design of the show, and a list of content warnings as a way to prep folks with various needs before they go see it.
This is not meant to scare anyone away from seeing the show. Most productions have about the same amount of content warnings and sensory warnings to go along with it, they’re just rarely explicitly written down.
For some people, knowing these things ahead of time makes it easier to enjoy the show because they know what to expect. And, often, makes those people more likely to see it in the first place. I hope that it’s helpful!
I am also happy to clarify any specifics, just send me a message or an email and I will respond when I can.
Also please note that I make these while seeing a show for the first time, so I may miss some cues or be slightly off as to their placement/cue line!
Theater
Playwrights Horizons - Peter Jay Sharp Theater
All comments on the accessibility of lighting are in reference to seats in the back center
Bathrooms:
non-gendered and located on floor 3M
Other theater accessibility:
located on level 4 – the elevator is on the right when you enter the building
there is a step down for each row with the exception of the top row
the seat numbers are located on the floor in front of each seat
they offer assistive listening devices, AD and touch tours, closed captioning via GalaPro, and large print and Braille programs
Click here for more information on the physical accessibility of this theater.
Light/Sound/Scent
NOTE: I saw this show during early previews, so some of this may change over the course of the run
General:
the show runs 70-75 minutes with no intermission
I didn’t need earplugs for this show, but may recommend them for the tornado sequence
the theater was notably chilly
the show is structured as lots of interconnected vignettes separated by a camera shutter sound and quick light shift that can be a bit of a jumpscare. I will list the first three cues as a heads up, but will not list every one since there are over 30 of them!
the sensory accessibility of this show is similar to that of N/A, Corruption, Call Me Izzy, and The Picture of Dorian Gray
Pre-Show: medium volume jazz music playing
The Show:
First transition during applause for the interviewee’s entrance
Transition - halfway through following song
Transition - “What was that for you? That first story?”
There are string lights on the back floor that point at the audience - they first appear during the intro to Don’t Cry For Me Argentina
There are two transitions after “...changed your memory of her?”
Two after “that you made everything up?”
“Will you help us to be better?” - transition into light dubstep with some on/off lights that aren’t strobey, lasts ~20 seconds
There’s a sound cue kind of like a continuous phone buzz on a table that lasts from the start of the confrontation until somewhere in the tornado
“Start telling lies” - transition + quick flash from floor lights
Same after “a fear of what, Kristen” - this continues multiple times but does not get strobey
Small lightnings once the thunder starts, again, not strobey – followed up by tornado siren and slightly swirly cloud projections
Flash from floor after “we’re safe down here”, followed by a few more + louder sirens
White strobe at half dim on her while she rocks the child for ~15 seconds
the whole tornado sequence (from thunder to silence) is probably 2-3 minutes, if we include from the start of the confrontation the whole sequence is probably 5-7
Content Advisory
homophobia
manipulative language
spiritual/religious abuse, including memories of an exorcism
descriptions of physical abuse
asthma attack (there is no child death, don’t worry!)
depiction of a tornado & alarm sirens