Sandy Kenyon sits down with 'Hand to God' star Steven Boyer

NEW YORK (WABC) -- A puppet is taking center stage right on the Great White Way, with the Broadway show "Hand to God" getting big laughs since its debut last year.

Like "The Book of Mormon," it has an irreverent and raunchy tone, and people seem to love it.

"Hand to God" is a play with something to say, but it is also wild and crazy fun, both hilarious and serious. It features puppets manipulated by actors in a coming-of-age story about Christians in Texas that captured the hearts and minds of Tony Award voters.

Tyrone and his better half Jason are two parts played by one person, the talented Steven Boyer.

"Playing two characters simultaneously is the most difficult thing I've ever been asked to do," he said.

And the puppet says what the kid cannot.

"Each of us has a duality inside of ourselves," Boyer said. "You know, the side that wants to be good, and the side that wants to rebel against that, and just really wants to be bad."

The two sides are at war, which makes for a very funny and, at times, a somewhat raunchy show.

"This is the kind of funny that'll stack up against any movie or television, anything you've ever seen," Boyer said. "Like people lose their minds laughing."

It packs a punch in more ways than one, which is why the star has to play injured sometimes.

"I broke this finger on stage during a matinee, and I've actually sprained about four other fingers," he said. "I just came from having my elbow X-rayed. It's a very physical show, and there's a lot going on."

A graduate of the famed Juilliard School in New York City, Boyer was a stand-up comic before finding fame and a Tony nomination on the Great White Way. In "Hand to God," talent, training and timing all came together for him.

"Anything that I do after this is going to feel like a vacation," he said.

Those thinking the play will be like a lesson or a lecture, one of those shows that is both good for you or educational, might be surprised to learn that couldn't be further from the truth. It is a wildly entertaining and enjoyable production.