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This outrageous musical comedy follows the misadventures of a mismatched pair of missionaries, sent halfway across the world to spread the Good Word. Now with standing room only productions in London, on Broadway, and across North America, “The Book of Mormon” has truly become an international sensation.
Truth be told, I was woefully unprepared for this musical to be as delightful and outrageously humorous as it is. From the very first scene, I was humorously educated about the Mormons, their sacred text and how totally truthful and unapologetic they could be, and honestly it was lighthearted entertainment that was both serious and amusing. This musical, which is a satire, makes a hilarious run on the beliefs of the members of its church and goes deep into the reactions of the community that tries its best to embrace it. The cast of extremely talented young men were full of energy and enthusiasm, and appeared to be well-prepared for their roles as newly graduated members of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints.
Elder Price (Gabe Gibbs) and Elder Cunningham (Josh Gad) do not have the same level of enthusiasm as one another when they are paired to go to Uganda to transform the Book of Mormon into a lifestyle for the local community. Elder Price, who had prayed to be sent to Orlando, is immediately overwhelmed when he realizes that his partner for the next two years has little exposure to the real world as well as a general misconception about basic rules of competence and independence. As the brothers in Christ navigate together with the church’s richest blessings behind them, they are forced to reconcile with their own misconceptions about foreign people in a foreign land that is plagued with AIDS and poverty. The brothers’ own bond is broken when the task becomes too much, and together they cannot come up with a plan to prevail. Elder Cunningham, left to deal with his own vices, uses his most irritating asset to overcome his own fears and create common ground for the battle he is faced with. The laughs build, peak, level off and build again as every situation begs for the Mormons to be more creative in gaining trust and respect from the natives while trying to find a path back to one another and their original mission. In the end, all is not lost as the community converts to some facet of the book and religion with an extensive amount of flexibility for their day-to-day struggles.
Gathering nine Tony Awards since its 2011 premiere, this musical is still running strong in spite of the naysayers who consider it blasphemous to enjoy the farce that has strong religious characterizations that go alongside the extremely used phrase and song that translates to, “Fuck You, God!” True to its description, it has been labeled a farce and only truly mature audiences, religious or not, will be fully able to grasp the logic behind it being put out there for all to see. Trey Parker and Matt Stone, who collaborated with Robert Lopez, all have had tremendous success with “South Park” and “Frozen” respectively, and are highly skilled in taking humor to an entirely different level than most would expect and fully appreciate. Judging by the audience’s response, it was definitely a crowd-pleaser that could carry its own weight in spite of any preconceived notions about religion or the lack thereof, in a community that is looking for something to believe in.
Now playing at the Winspear Opera House December 20 – 31
