My Thoughts on Book of Mormon... in-depth.

[Kad]

Posted: 2/26/11 at 11:58pm

For my thoughts and review of Book of Mormon, please go to my blog!


Seriously though, eff that. I saw Book of Mormon tonight and thought I'd created a new thread to tell y'all about how I felt about it, perhaps a bit more in-depth than the "I loved it!" posts we've seen.

I went in biased toward it- I love South Park and all the movies Trey Parker and Matt Stone have done. I love Avenue Q (it was the first show I ever saw in NYC). I love Mormons. But honestly- I came out loving it. Loving it more than I expected. And, apparently, so did most of the audience in the packed orchestra section.
From the second you enter the theatre and see the proscenium made up like a Latter-Day Saints church/temple/whatever, along with the heavenly curtain depicting the cosmos, you're smiling. Or at least I was.

And I must say how refreshing it was going into a show knowing nothing other than a synopsis and never hearing a chord of its score. Julie Taymor complained about not opening out of town- neither did this show. And it could open tomorrow, to very positive reviews. Not a glitch, not a hitch, stellar performances all around.
The performances really are great. The ensemble is fantastic- we have the African ensemble, and the all-male Mormon ensemble. They are all characters (a rarity in the Stepford smiler Broadway chorus world),and they're given some great ensemble numbers. Josh Gad and Andrew Rannells are both tops as the Elders Cunningham and Price. Rannells gets to show off his amazing vocals in a second-act show stopper "I Believe", while Gad gets to ham it up as the schlubby, slovenly, nerdy, prone-to-lying Cunningham. Both are worthy of Tony noms- and their roles are pretty much equally-sized.
Nikki M. James gets the most grounded and realistic character in Nabalungi (whose name is hopelessly mangled), who desires peace and happiness for her village. She has a wonderful I Want type song called "Salt Lake City" in which she gets to show off her pipes, too.

The direction is good- the show clips right along. The directors' hands were not evident. Choreography was adequate- nothing really spectacular or very clever- but that's alright, in my opinion, since the rest of the book and score make up for that deficiency.

Spoilers follow, for those who wish to avoid that sort of thing. Also, there is no song list in the Playbill, so I'm just calling the songs by what I suppose their title is.


We've heard about the first 25 minutes from the press previews- and I can only imagine it has improved enormously from then. The sets for Salt Lake City are these cheesy painted drops- very idealized and very old-fashioned Broadway musical. The show is squeaky clean until we reach Africa- then, of course, we see a dead donkey being dragged across the stage. And then the much-discussed "**** you, God" number- which is done hilariously well and is the bang that really gets the show started.
Act 1 feels a bit long, but that is truly negligible. For how can you really complain when the score contains a song called "Turn It Off"- a tap number about how Mormons repress negative feelings and desires in order to be relentlessly cheerful, sung by the hilarious Mormon Elder ensemble at the Ugandan mission. Of course, the Mormon stance on gays is here lampooned with the repressed Elder McKinley. "Imagine your brain is made up of boxes, and you take the gay box and CRUSH IT."

Another Act 1 standout, aside from the aforementioned "Salt Lake City" number and the "**** you, God" song, is "The All-American Prophet"- a "hip" (or at least the Mormon idea of hip) retelling of the story of Joseph Smith. The Act 1 finale is also pretty darn great, featuring that old Broadway musical tradition of a counterpoint of reprisals of songs (which I am oddly compelled by).

Act 2 really zips along- Cunningham lies and is admonished by his conscious (made up of his father, Mormon figures, and.. Uhura). We have a hilarious garish and corny production-number/dream sequence called "Spooky Mormon Hell Dream" (another running gag is that Mormons constantly have guilt-ridden hell dreams)- featuring Hitler and coffee. A double entendre-laced duet about baptism, the African production of a bastardized story of Joseph Smith, and an upbeat closing number ("Tomorrow is a Latter Day") are more highlights. But, honestly, it seemed as though every song in the second act seemed to the top the one that came before it.

So those are the score highlights... I hesitate to reveal much more, simply because not knowing is half the fun. Honestly, the plot can be spoiled if one simply sees the first 20 minutes. It's not the point, really- Parker and Stone always utilize cliche plots. I mean, you can sit there and wonder "Will the perfect believer Elder Price be taken down a notch? Will the slobby Elder Cunningham find his self-worth?" The answers are obvious and beside the point. The point is, you'll be laughing and be entertained (hopefully). The plot is actually very light. There's this recurring issue about a warlord threatening the Ugandan village that gets resolved in a bit of an anti-climax in Act 2. It could honestly be removed with a bit of minor changes to the book without much detriment to the piece. The musical doesn't really need a "villain" like that, it's about the journeys of Elders Price and Cunningham.

And here's another thing- Book of Mormon, for all the ballyhoo about the "**** you, God" number and the assumptions that it will be shocking and outrageous- isn't that shocking and outrageous. There are many episodes of South Park worse, there are other plays and musicals worse. Half of the characters cannot curse due to their religion- so that sort of limits the vulgarity. Yes, we hear ****, and ****, and ****, and clit. But it's not to excess. There's some mock-sexual choreography, but what was done in Hair was more explicit. The musical is actually.. "tame". For its pedigree, I mean. It's still vulgar and raunchy in comparison to the majority of Broadway. But it's not "Uncle F*CKa" from South Park the movie.

And for those expecting a show that just rips apart Mormons, you'll be disappointed. Yes, it jibes at their beliefs. It paints the picture of Mormons being guilt-ridden and kind of self-loathing but repressed. But there's a feeling of it being all in good fun. Mormons do get made fun of, but not called out for the hypocrisy of their intolerance or their support of Prop. 8 or the like. I really don't foresee protests. The show is accepting to them, and to all beliefs, actually. That's the message- it doesn't matter what you believe- one god, multiple gods, Joseph Smith being a prophet, Star Wars, or nothing at all, as long as it brings you fulfillment. The show is almost subversive in its heart and sweetness- it's just under the biting sourness.

Yes, there is merchandise.

I don't know if anyone stage doored.

I will be telling all my friends to see this show. And I'm telling you all you should, too. This will be the show to beat come award season, I think. It's slick and funny and fun, but smart, well-written, and outstandingly performed. It's not off-puttingly vulgar or insulting. I'm sure the pearl-clutchers will clutch their pearls, but whatever. They should just shrug it off, like the Ugandans in the show, and curse God for making them miserable.

[rmusic11322]

Posted: 2/27/11 at 12:24am

I was really on the fence about it, but now I want to see the show. Thank you so much for posting this.

[taylorPHENOMENON2]

Posted: 2/27/11 at 12:34am

Great review! I agree with pretty much everything you said.

The Act 1 finale is also pretty darn great, featuring that old Broadway musical tradition of a counterpoint of reprisals of songs (which I am oddly compelled by).

When I saw this I was like "that's why Matt and Trey are brilliant musical writers". Reminded me of La Resistance from SP:BLU.

As far as the audience response, I have yet to see an audience member react badly to the show. Even the people who sit down next to me thinking they'll be outraged when the clit cutting talk happens, end up laughing just as much as me.

I said this in the preview thread but I'll mention it again: they keep going back and forth between having Joseph Smith in whiteface when the Africans act out The Book of Mormon. The dress rehearsal he was, the first preview he wasn't, and tonight he was again.Other than that, I haven't noticed any major changes.

[Blockhead24]

Posted: 2/27/11 at 12:53am

I saw it tonight and absolutely loved it! I had a ticket to see it in a few weeks but I couldn't wait and it was completely worth it. really appreciate your detailed thoughts Kad.

[April Saul]

Posted: 2/27/11 at 12:57am

I saw it tonight, too, and was completely blown away! It's going to be a huge hit along the lines of Producers or Hairspray and could well win a Best Musical Tony.

I agree with Kad. The way I described it to my friends and family tonight was that it's got all the wit and irreverence of South Park, but with a big feel-good musical heart. Just wonderful, guys. One of the employees at the theater told me that people shouldn't be so worried about getting tickets right this minute, since "these guys plan for this to be around for the next five years or so."

And I believe it!

[Kad]

Posted: 2/27/11 at 1:45am

All I heard around me was "That was amazing!" and praise.

I just hate that I have to wait for a cast recording. I want to hear Rannells singing "I Believe" whenever I like.

[siny]

Posted: 2/27/11 at 1:47am

I saw it tonight too and absolutely loved it ! But a minor quibble here - to me the ending made no sense at all. It seemed like they just needed something to end the show with so they put together a big, feel-good number with the entire ensemble just to get it over with. It did not flow from the storyline at all.

But other than that - I would say it's probably the best show I've seen on Broadway and I've seen quite a few.

[Kad]

Posted: 2/27/11 at 1:57am

I felt that way, too, about the whole denouement- but I get it. It's very much a take-off of the big, rousing, traditional Broadway finale, in which everything ends happily quite suddenly.

[After Eight]

Posted: 2/27/11 at 5:01am

To kad,

This has come to be my pet peeve on Broadway World, so it's not you alone I'm criticizing.

There have already been two threads with reviews of this show. Already one too many. Why did you feel impelled to start a third?

Fragmenting discussion of a show into multiple threads makes it hard to follow various people's thoughts, have good discussions, etc.

Why can't people just use the search button? Is it a laziness thing? Or an ego thing, that one's opinion is so important it merits its own thread?

Whatever the reason, it's really annoying, and so I won't comment in your review, because I'm so annoyed I haven't read it. That despite the fact I've valued your opinions in the past.