"The Book of Mormon" at the Orpheum Theatre

NOTE: this is my fourth time seeing and writing about the 2011 Tony-winning best musical The Book of Mormon, still playing on Broadway, and still touring the country. It's currently making its 4th stop at Minneapolis' Orpheum Theatre, for just two weeks. I love it so much, and it fills me with such joy. What follows is adapted from my review from 2016, with a few notes about the amazing current cast.

If theater is my religion, The Book of Mormon is my most sacred text. Not the actual book of course, rather the wildly irreverent musical written by the creators of South Park (Trey Parker and Matt Stone) along with EGOT winner Robert Lopez. It is a nearly perfect musical, and definitely one of most joyous musicals I've ever seen. One of the brilliant things about The Book of Mormon is that it allows us to laugh at institutionalized religion (and let's face it, there are plenty of ridiculous things to laugh at) while still espousing the value of faith in oneself and one's friends and community, and "working together to make this our paradise planet!" It truly is a feel-good musical that has the hugest heart, despite its unbelievably foul mouth. Back when it premiered in 2011, The Book of Mormon was what Hamilton is today - a smash hit musical that swept the Tonys and was an impossible ticket to get. Fortunately seven years later tickets are a little easier to come by; tickets are still available (including rush and lottery, click here for details). If you're a fan of musical theater (who isn't offended by profanity and poking fun at religion), The Book of Mormon is definitely a must-see. And since it's still running on Broadway and touring the country, it likely won't be available for regional productions for many years, so this tour may be your only chance to see it for a while. Don't miss it!

"The Book of Mormon" on tour at the Orpheum Theatre

If theater is my religion, The Book of Mormon is my most sacred text. Not the actual book of course, rather the wildly irreverent musical written by the creators of South Park (Trey Parker and Matt Stone) along with EGOT winner Robert Lopez. It is a nearly perfect musical, and definitely one of most joyous musicals I've ever seen. One of the brilliant things about The Book of Mormon is that it allows us to laugh at institutionalized religion (and let's face it, there are plenty of ridiculous things to laugh at) while still espousing the value of faith in oneself and one's friends and community, and "working together to make this our paradise planet!" It truly is a feel-good musical that has the hugest heart, despite its unbelievably foul mouth. Back when it premiered in 2011, The Book of Mormon was what Hamilton is today - a smash hit musical that swept the Tonys and was an impossible ticket to get. Fortunately five years later tickets are a little easier to come by; tickets are still available for all performances in the tour's month-long stop at the Orpheum Theatre (in fact you can even get discount tickets on Goldstar!). If you're a fan of musical theater (who isn't offended by profanity and poking fun at religion), The Book of Mormon is definitely a must-see. And since it's still running on Broadway and touring the country, it likely won't be available for regional productions for many years, so this tour may be your only chance to see it for a while. Don't miss it!

"The Book of Mormon" at the Orpheum Theatre

We are still Latter Day Saints, all of us
Even if we change some things
Or we break the rules
Or we have complete doubt that God exists
We can still all work together to make this our paradise planet.

This pretty much sums up my fundamental spiritual belief. It's quite unexpected to find such profundity in a big old-fashioned Broadway musical that contains the foulest language I've ever heard coming from the stage. Creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone (South Park) and Robert Lopez (Avenue Q) brilliantly walk that line between hilarious vulgarity and a beautifully sweet heart, and have created that truly rare piece of entertainment that lives up to all of the hype surrounding it. The Book of Mormon is perhaps the most joyful musical I've ever seen, full of the joy of life, friendship, and community.

Elders Price and Cunningham have a Lion King moment

The heroes of our story are a couple of young Mormon men who are paired together on a mission to Uganda to convert the native people to the Mormon religion. The two have opposite journeys in the story. Elder Price is the overachiever who has the perfect life planned out for himself, and has to learn some painful lessons (literally) that life is not quite that easy. Elder Cunningham is the schlubby compulsive liar who's never done anything right, until his well-intentioned lying saves the day. The Ugandans resist every attempt at conversion because the stories about an American prophet half a world away have nothing to do with the very real problems of illness and violence that they face on a daily basis. It's only when Elder Cunningham is able to make the stories more relatable that they begin to find comfort in The Book.

the young Mormons excited to go on their missions

Despite my disappointment that my favorite Broadway actor Gavin Creel recently left the role of Elder Price in the First US National Tour to create the role in the London version of the show, I have to admit that this is an all-around fantastic cast. I saw the original cast on Broadway and this one is every bit as good. The ensemble has such sharp precision in the execution of this wonderful and traditionally Broadway choreography and the decidedly non-traditional lyrics. There are moments in the opening number when they sound like a heavenly choir. Mark Evans is extremely charismatic and enthusiastic as Elder Price, with a voice to match. Before reading his bio at intermission and discovering that he's a Welsh actor who's worked mostly in the UK, I had no clue that he was anything but All-American; he has no trace of an accent. Christopher John O'Neill makes the role of Elder Cunningham his own; no one can be Josh Gad so he wisely doesn't even try. He doesn't have a strong voice, but that works for the character, and he more than makes up for it with his complete embodiment of that sweet, innocent, well-meaning buffoonery. Samantha Marie Ware is a star as Nabulungi, with a beautiful singing voice and appealing stage presence. The duet between Elder Cunningham and Nabulungi, "Baptize Me," is about the sweetest unconventional love song ever seen onstage. Other favorite moments include the exuberant "Two by Two" as the boys are sent on their missions, Elder Price's fierce declaration of unwavering faith in "I Believe," and the finale, "Tomorrow is a Latter Day," in which our characters joyfully exclaim that today is what matters, not some future other world.

The Book of Mormon is an example of everything musical theater can and should be. Using this traditional American art form in a new and interesting way, telling stories, sharing joy, poking fun at established institutions (not just the Mormon religion, but religion in general), singing clever and musically entertaining songs, and just plain old entertaining the audience. It even includes a few nods to classic musicals - several references to The Lion King, and a line that's similar to a song from The Sound of Music (although one written for the movie, not the stage version). If you want to experience this new classic of musical theater, check out the Hennepin Theatre Trust's website for information on ticket availability and the daily lottery (all shows in the two-week run have been virtually sold out for months). Unless you have no heart (or can't get past the language), you will leave the theater feeling a lot lighter and happier than when you entered it.

Ma ha nei bu, Eebowai.

"The Book of Mormon" at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre on Broadway

I planned my 2011 trip to New York City around The Book of Mormon.  In fact, my NYC theater buddy and I were so focused on getting tickets that we didn't immediately realize that our trip coincided with the 10th anniversary of 9-11.  Which actually turned out to be a really fortunate "coincidence."  There's nowhere else I'd rather be on that day. 

But back to the show.  I saw it described somewhere as "sweetly irreverent," and I can't think of a better way to say it.  The creators Matt Stone, Trey Parker (the creators of South Park, of which I have yet to see a single episode), and Robert Lopez (Avenue Q, one of my favorite new musicals, which has a similar feel) are somehow able to walk that fine line.  They've created something that's the foulest thing I've ever seen on stage, but with a really wonderful heart and a great message.  It works, and (most) people get it.  So much so that The Book of Mormon won nine Tony Awards this year (including Best Musical, Best Score, and Best Book), and tickets are hard to come by.  It's that rare creation that's a critical and popular success.

The musical tells the story of two Mormons who go on their mission to Uganda.  For Elder Price, the good and earnest overachiever, Africa is not what he had planned for his future.  He wants to do "something incredible," and doesn't feel that Africa is the place to do it.  His companion, the socially awkward compulsive liar Elder Cunningham, is thrilled to finally have a "best friend" and is content to sit by and watch as he does big things.  They soon find out that the African mission has not baptized a single new Mormon, and is in danger of being shut down.  Elder Price decides to get out and go somewhere he can made a difference, but Elder Cunningham decides to "man up" and takes an unconventional approach to converting the Ugandans.

Another wonderful thing about The Book of Mormon is that it's a traditional musical in structure, but totally non-traditional in content.  There are big ensemble numbers with amazing intricate choreography (dancing Mormon boys as well as more African style dancing), duets between buddies and would-be lovers, and quieter moments of one character expressing himself through a beautiful ballad.  Which is further evidence to support my theory that musical theater is a versatile art form that can be used to communicate any number of ideas and stories.

with Andrew Rannells (Elder Price) at the stage door

The cast of this show is so talented, and we were fortunate to meet many of them at the stage door (see playbill above).  Josh Gad is adorkable as Elder Cunningham, and has created a character so specific that I'm curious to see how it's interpreted on tour (i.e., will they just cast a Josh Gad impersonator?).  Andrew Rannells has a great voice and is very believable as the young idealistic man whose dreams don't take the form he thinks they will.  Nikki M. James deservedly won a Tony for her role as Nabalungi, the sweet and open-hearted daughter of the village leader.  I was thrilled to recognize Michael Potts from the 2009 Guthrie-commissioned Tony Kushner play Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures.  He said he had to choose between reprising his role in that play on Broadway, and this role - tough choice!

The Book of Mormon may seem to be poking fun at the Mormon religion on the surface, but I think it's a really wonderful exploration of faith and religion. Different cultures interpret religion through the lens of their experience, and myths change to suit the audience. In the end, people find stories that help them explain the world they live in and give them comfort about their uncertain future.  Kind of like what musical theater does for me.