FERNDALE, Mich.— I’m not a churchgoer, so the idea of a puppet ministry couldn’t be more foreign. But apparently it’s a thing, and not just in the South.

The puppet ministry that is a central theme to Hand to God starts out innocently enough, with Margery trying to engage her students, which include her son Jason (Joshua Daniel Palmer), his romantic interest Jessica (Taylor Morrow) and the burnout bully of the bunch, Timothy (Mike Suchyta).

It doesn’t take long to realize that Jason’s sock puppet, Tyrone, is seriously off-kilter. Still coping with the recent death of his father (Margery’s husband), meek Jason finds an outlet for his anxiety and alter ego via Tyrone, who seems to have a mind of his own despite Jason’s increasingly frustrating efforts to control him.

Hand to God, at the Ringwald through March 13, explores the fragile nature of faith, morality, and the ties that bind us.

The play’s author Robert Askins has said Hand to God is an expression about honesty. It’s a Southern regionalism that’s fairly unknown in the North. It’s set in the devoutly religious, relatively quiet small town of Cypress, Texas. But the characters’ southern drawls, particularly Margery’s and Pastor Greg’s (Mike McGettigan), could just as easily be from Kentucky or any other Southern state. The exact location isn’t as important as the mindset. This is a conservative community where church is pivotal to the social fabric.

Indeed, Margery, who is struggling to cope with the sudden demise of her husband, is trying to find solace in her devotion to the church. She explains that she can’t sing and she can’t bake (her brownies “taste like used tires”), so coordinating the puppet ministry is her way of contributing. However, the she becomes disillusioned with the church after Pastor Greg doesn’t handle her rebuke of his romantic overtures very well. Still sorting out her feelings as a new widow, she looks to her son for support and companionship. But he’s too wrapped up in his own teenage angst, which causes her to fly into a rage, ordering him out of the car at one point.

Brandy Joe Plambeck directs and handles sound and lighting design. Costume design is by Vince Kelley. Puppet design is by Jared Morin and fight choreography is by Sydney Lepora.

Set design is by Jennifer Maiseloff, who does a good job splitting the small stage into the corny puppet ministry classroom and Pastor Greg’s office. There are crosses and Sunday schoolers’ drawings aplenty.

The play is meant to be comedic, although some of the laughs are uncomfortable. There also is considerable sexual subject matter and it should be considered PG-13. (Just because there are puppets doesn’t mean you should bring your kids.)

The play was produced off-Broadway in 2011 and 2014 and on Broadway in 2015. The Broadway production received five Tony Award nominations, including for Best New Play. However, when it opened in London in 2016, the run was cut short due to disastrous ticket sales.

I think this divergence in reactions says a lot. Most audience members are either going to love or hate this play; there’s not a lot of room for in-between. One thing is for sure: In these PC times we live in, Tyrone the puppet is anything but.

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