Yes, I’m a little latter day to the Mormon party, but even
over a year since it opened on the West End, after countless awards and
sell-out shows, The Book of Mormon remains
the biggest show on the West End at the moment.
From Trey Parker and Matt Stone (the creators of South Park) and Robert Lopez (co-composer/co-lyricist of Avenue Q), it tells the tale of a naive
pair of Mormon missionaries sent to Uganda to spread the word of the titular
book. It’s brash, crude and obscenely
hilarious, yet underneath it all is a slick and incredibly well written
musical. Here’s four reasons you need to
see it immediately:
It’s typical Parker
and Stone
Fans of Parker and Stone’s previous work (namely South Park and Team America: World Police) will be instantly familiar with the
boundary pushing humour that The Book of
Mormon offers. Jam-packed with racism,
sexism and prejudice, it’s certainly on the extreme end of the spectrum, yet despite
touching upon some dark issues it remains totally light-hearted in its gentle
mockery of religion that's full of warmth and reverence. The book might be
highly satirical, but its jokes and one-liners are never less than
pant-wettingly amusing and have the audience gasping “where can they go from
here?!”.
Mostly, it’s the references that amuse – not only to musical
theatre and wider pop culture, but to Parker and Stone’s own work. The ‘Spooky Mormon Hell Dream’ for instance,
with its oversized Satan character and historical villains, is straight out of South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut,
whilst the flailing puppet-like choreography and frequent references to Aids
will be familiar to anyone who’s seen Team
America. As such, The Book of Mormon may not be as
original as it first seems, but ultimately this is the Parker and Stone show to
end all shows.
The Music
In a world of classic revivals and jukebox pop musicals, it’s
refreshing to see a new musical with such a well-written score (even if it is
full of clever clichés). Every single
song is not only hilarious but equally memorable for its catchy tunes: from
cheeky opener ‘Hello’, to the hilarious mis-pronunciation of Salt Lake City in ‘Sal
Tlay Ka Siti’, the soaring ballad ‘I Believe’ at the heart of the show, and the
collection of African stereotypes in ‘I Am Africa’. You WILL come out singing the songs and you WILL
want to listen to the soundtrack immediately afterwards – if that’s not the
sign of a good musical I don’t know what is.
The references continue in the score too. ‘Hasa Diga Eebowai’ is a clear parody of the Lion
King’s ‘Hakuna Matata’ (though it’s FAR ruder), ‘You And Me (But Mostly Me)’
lampoons Wicked’s ‘Defying Gravity’
and the way ‘Man Up’ fuses together previous songs to end the first act
resembles the ‘Quintet’ from West Side
Story. Regular theatre-goers will
find plenty to laugh at in the score, but the songs are individually amusing in
their own right too.
The Performances
The high camp, hyperactive, hyperbolic style of the
production is like watching a cartoon on-stage and it’s down to the hugely
talented cast that the show is such a joy to watch. The seemingly-animated ensemble will have you
crying with laughter, juxtaposing the wide-eyed perpetual positivity of the
over the top Mormon missionaries with the down-trodden, disbelieving Africans
and the tyrannical General. Gavin Creel
and Jared Gertner reprise their roles as Elder Price and Elder Cunningham from
performing in the US – Creel is vocally outstanding with a high tenor to match
the naivety of Price, whilst Gertner’s comic timing is impeccable as
Cunningham. They’re joined by Alexia
Khadime as Nabulungi, who presents a different type of innocence as the
daughter to the African chief with a powerful voice and consistently funny
accent. As a whole, the high-energy performances will not disappoint.
There’s nothing else
like it
Where most musicals are seen as family entertainment, The Book of Mormon is wholeheartedly an
adult show. No other show would dare to
poke fun at religion, Aids, rape, homosexuality, musical history or drop a
c-bomb. This is a musical comedy in the
most literal sense, aimed squarely at a modern adult audience – only Avenue Q can compare. It is breathtakingly funny and silly, but it’s got the music,
comedic book and talented cast to back it up.
In fact, it’s got everything you could want from a musical that will make
you jump in the air, shout “I believe!” and stump up the cash for another
ticket - no wonder it's so frickin' popular. Tomorrow might be a latter day, but don't wait until then to see it.
5/5
Watch: The Book of
Mormon is booking at the Prince of Wales Theatre until September 2014.