The musical Book of Mormon written by funny men Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone, best known for creating the animated comedy South Park, Parker and Stone co-created the music with Lopez, a co-composer/co-lyricist of Avenue Q. Book of Mormon tells the story of two young Mormon missionaries sent to a remote village in northern Uganda, where a brutal warlord is threatening the local population. Elder Price knows he has a destiny to change the world and achieve greatness. Enter sidekick Elder Cunningham and things go a little (a lot) awry. Based solely on stereotypes, offensive humour and shock value, the musical allows you to suspend your sheltered outlook. Yes, there are tons of moments where you catch yourself laughing but not sure if you should.
The show deserves a standing ovation scene after scene.
The cast is first rate; there is not a single voice that didn’t carry through the theatre. The punch lines are perfectly timed and executed and the dance numbers are full energy all the time. It’s also quite interesting to see a show with such a large male cast and how that plays out over the course of the musical. Conner Peirson and Gabe Biggs do a fantastic job with their musical numbers impressing both vocally as well as theatrically. The show’s breakout performance goes to Leanne Robinson, the chief’s daughter, in the erotic duet “Baptize Me” sung with Peirson.
And though I’m not a Mormon and may not believe Jesus came over to America for a quick chat, I have no problems “Just Believing” in The Book of Mormon.
Leave a Reply