In 1827 the Mormon prophet Joseph Smith found golden plates buried in upstate New York, he published a book and called it ‘The Book of Mormon’. A hundred and eight-five years later, the world was visited by a musical of the same name, and it is worth every penny and every effort to go and watch this show. When SouthPark first aired, it shocked and surprised people by doing insane things that were so outrageous and hilarious that it went on winning one Peabody and nine Tony awards. The makers of the SouthPark managed to outdo themselves by pioneering into uncharted waters and unexplored lands of comedic genius, and they have claimed it as their own. It is the brainchild of Matt Stone and Trey Parker believe that any play, movie or song can portray any serious idea, can be well absorbing, captivating and most importantly original.
Execution of the concept
The book of Mormon is entirely a league of its own, and it is something so beautiful and entertaining that it gave satire an all-new form. If you are looking for wholesome family fun, you might want to check out another play unless your idea of healthy family fun involves female castration, AIDS and insect intimacy stories. The book of Mormon follows two young and naive missionaries, Elder Cunningham and Elder Price who go on their mission to Uganda, needless to say, that its somewhere out of place. But as far as musicals go, the book of Mormon is appropriately on Broadway where musical numbers are fun, flashy and funny. Group numbers like ‘two by two’ and ‘turn it off’ properly showcase the whiteness and innocence of the mission Mormon while still serving for an enormous spectacle. Both Dave Thomas Brown and Cody Jamison Strand rock their solo parts, and the supporting characters prove to be great fun.
The audience’s taste
The Book of Mormon, in many ways, feels like a different rebirth of the classic musical. Still, with a completely new incline on things, it is not just caught up with ridiculous spectacles, there is a fantastic story which backs the music. At the same time, it could be easily be converted into a movie musical, but a lot of the stage charisma would be lost. The show is brilliantly balanced between song and dance and satirizers and praises faith at the same time, and the joy for all the purists out there is that Trey Parker has lent his voice in the show.
Conclusion
The book of Mormon is a wonderful comedy sensation which premiered on Broadway in 2011 and is still running there in sold-out houses, and it was transferred to London in 2013. Some people find it to be very obscene given the choice of strong language, and earlier it had stirred up protests due to the same reason. The director and the choreography team did a great job of having a creative vision and making a genuinely vibrant play. However, it can be said that the book of Mormon is a pretty adult show; it still carries a lot of childish elements from Disney.