The Book of Mormon has become a cultural phenomenon. Since opening on Broadway in 2011, it has consistently grossed over $1 million a week and has won nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical of the Year.
So when the incredibly popular musical arrived with all its bells and whistles at Toronto’s Princess of Wales Theatre, I had to see it for myself. My expectations were high and doubts began creeping into my mind whether it would live up to all the hype. How good could a musical about Mormons actually be? Turns out, it’s exceptionally good!
The Book of Mormon is the outrageous brainchild of Trey Parker and Matt Stone, of South Park fame, and Avenue Q co-creator Robert Lopez. And it’s exactly the type of blasphemous, satirical comedy one expects from Parker and Stone.
The plot follows two young Mormons from Salt Lake City, Utah sent to Uganda on a mission to convert villagers to Mormonism. Elder Price is popular and handsome and is determined to do something ‘incredible’ on the mission, while his companion, Elder Cunningham is a short and stout geek who takes liberties with the truth to compensate for his lack of self-esteem. A strange friendship emerges as our two heroes obey Rule 72 of the Church, which states that an Elder must always stay with his companion.
Things go awry with the mission when it becomes very clear that Africa is “nothing like The Lion King.” Instead, the Elders discover an Africa cursed with AIDS, violence, poverty and a nasty warlord who won’t rest until all the women in the village are circumcised. Elder Price checks out mentally to nurture his unhealthy obsession with Orlando, Florida, leaving Elder Cunningham to ‘use his imagination’ to teach the Book of Mormon in a ridiculous manner that suits the African people’s circumstances.
What ensues is a politically incorrect, yet endearing musical with a dynamic and deep story. Despite all the profanity, the show isn’t mean-spirited. Rather, Parker, Stone and Lopez push the envelope just the right amount and in a genius way, use humour to bring realistic insight to some of the world’s largest social problems.
The cast of the National Tour of The Book of Mormon
The cast includes stellar work by Mark Evans as Elder Price and stand-up comedian Christopher John O’Neill (The Chris and Paul Show) as Elder Cunningham. In particular, O’Neill has a totally likeable stage presence and is very effective at depicting Elder Cunningham’s evolution from socially awkward Star Wars nerd to confident missionary. Samantha Marie Ware shines as Nabulungi, the beautiful African heroine whose name Elder Cunningham can never remember (calling her everything from Neutrogena to Neosporin).
Mark Evans as Elder Price
The musical numbers, choreographed by Casey Nicholaw (who also co-directed with Parker), are quirky, amusing and at times shocking (Hitler, Darth Vader, Genghis Khan and Jeffrey Dahmer all make an appearance). The songs, while catchy and entertaining, aren’t particularly memorable. The opening number, “Hello,” is the best in the entire show, complete with young Mormons ringing doorbells to preach their faith. A close second is “Hasa Diga Eobowai,” a parody of The Lion King’s “Hakuna Matata.” I’ll let you watch the show to get the translation of the phrase. You feel guilty enjoying the song, but it’s just so darn catchy!
The Book of Mormon has all the core elements of the good old fashioned musical combined with refreshingly original storytelling and tremendous wit. While the show’s content is vulgar (a man repeatedly declaring “I have maggots in my scrotum” is one of the tamer lines in the script), it is still extremely clever and polished. If you can handle AIDS, female genital mutilation and the raping of babies being employed as themes for humour in the plot, then there’s no doubt that
The Book of Mormon will be wildly entertaining. However, for those not willing to dole out hefty amounts of cash to feel slightly uncomfortable at the theatre, I recommend you stick with The Lion King.
PHOTOS COURTESY www.broadway.com
Sources: http://bookofmormonbroadway.com
sheetal Nanda
Author
Sheetal Maya Nanda is the Principal Lawyer at SN Legal (www.snlegal.ca) and a Freelance Writer. She enjoys dissecting the legal issues happening in the entertainment and sports industries from a social, political and cultural lens. Outside the office, Sheetal is a...
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