There are people in Toronto who
have not seen The Book of Mormon yet. I go by the evidence of the full Ed
Mirvish Theatre. The musical has had national and international tours to most civilized
corners of the world since its opening on Broadway in 2011 and seems
unstoppable. It is back in Toronto.
The Book of Mormon is a
high-energy, funny, raunchy (really
raunchy), well-scored, robustly danced and splendidly sung and acted show that
satirizes The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They are better
known as the Mormons and if all you know about them is that Mitt Romney is a
Mormon you may wish to upgrade your knowledge. You don’t need it but you will
enjoy the show more.
The musical is the creation
(book, music and lyrics) of Trey Parker Robert Lopez and Matt Stone, the people
who gave the world South Park. It is an animated TV show that has been around
since 1997 and is known for its clean language, civilized situations and
wholesome image of everything.
We begin in a Mormon Missionary
Training Centre where young men barely out of their teens are referred to as
Elders and are being prepared to be sent out to the world to gain converts to The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
One of the new missionaries,
Elder Price (Liam Tobin) is smart,
well-spoken, devoted, enthusiastic and ready to do his two-year stint provided
it is in Orlando, Florida. His assigned partner Elder Cunningham (Jordan
Matthew Brown) is a misfit, a schnook, you might say, who is the opposite of
Price and his most distinguishing characteristic is lying.
Their assignment: a village in northern
Uganda, a couple of hours from Kampala. This is a negatively flourishing
community with its own Idi Amin type of dictator and, in addition to utter
poverty, has AIDS, genital mutilation and a few other even more disgusting
traditions, if that is possible.
The villagers’ view of religion
is expressed in a three-word phrase in their local language "Hasa Diga
Eebowai" which I cannot in good conscience translate but will give you a
hint or two. One word refers to the Supreme Being, one is the second person
pronoun and the third refers to fornication. Now that is not a society waiting
to be converted to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Monica L. Patton, Kevin Clay, Conner
Peirson - The Book of Mormon.
Photo Credit: Julieta Cervantes 2017
The fun lies in the totally
unsuccessful attempt of Price to baptize anyone and in Cunningham’s outrageous
lies that rely sci-fi and Mormon teachings of sorts to get converts. The use of
vulgar language is used regularly and hilariously. High marks to Tobin and
Brown for their performances as comics and singers.
Most of the fun and horror of the
musical comes from the Ugandan natives. They are no fools but they are the
victims of a dictator. They do have hopes and dreams and Cunningham is able to
convert them. But be prepared for subjects like sex with children, sex with
frogs and the removal of the Book of Mormon from someone’s rectum. How did it
ever get there?
We have the lovely Nabulungi (Kayla
Pecchioni) who is attracted to Cunningham and who is attracted to her, who
tortures her name and we have the wholesome love interest.
There are appearances by Moroni,
Jesus Christ and Joseph Smith. There is a hilarious scene where the President of
the Mission (Ron Bohmer – he plays several roles) is entertained with stories
about the Mormons including the fact that sex with a frog cures AIDS. He orders
the mission closed pronto.
The performances are spot on, the
music and singing vivacious and quite terrific and the production values of the
highest. Casey Nicholaw is the choreographer and he directs the show with
co-author Trey Parker.
The Book of Mormon is not for everyone. I met two acquaintances in
the crowded bar of the theatre during intermission as they were pushing their
way to the door. I asked if they liked the show and they said no. They could
not stand the vulgar names applied to the Lord.
__________
The Book of Mormon by
Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone continues until June 23, 2019 at the
Ed Mirvish Theatre, 244 Victoria Street, Toronto, Ont. M5B
1V8. 416.872.1212 or 1.800.461.3333. www.mirvish.com
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