Book, Music and Lyrics by Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone
Review by Annie Aslett
The Book of Mormon is a musical about Mormon missionaries visiting Uganda with the aim of baptizing Ugandan villagers into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – and it’s up there with Hamilton as one of the best musicals of the 21st century.
Undoubtedly, the depiction of “Africa” and “Africans” in The Book of Mormon is problematic; the small Ugandan village that the Mormons visit is a ramshackle collection of wooden huts plagued by poverty and disease. This narrative of Africa as an amorphous, impoverished nation is the exact issue raised recently by Fuse ODG when he called out the patronising nature of ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas’, the Band Aid song. Africa as a ‘third world’ country is an outdated, western-centric viewpoint – which, to give creators Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone their credit, is the satirical point that the Book of Mormon is making. Ultimately, the butt of the joke throughout are the Mormons and the Mormon church, as a stand-in for the western world at large and its “white saviour” complex. The Mormon church makes the perfect scapegoat for this wider criticism; a religion with the dual benefit of being much smaller, less vocal and less well-funded than other Christian sects, whose religious practices and dogma are also ripe for ridicule.
It’s a fine line to tread, but from the off, it’s clear that the Mormons are being mocked – although the fantastically endearing choreography makes the Mormons instantly likeable, absurd though their teachings may be. This muddies the satirical point somewhat, but the key message of the show is that the true villain is ignorance – you can’t expect much more in the way of social commentary from a musical about Mormons created by the people behind South Park.
Trey Parker and Matt Stone, creators of the cult TV show, devised The Book of Mormon alongside Tony, Oscar and Grammy-award-winning song writer, Robert Lopez, and multiple Tony-award-winning choreographer, Casey Nicholaw – no wonder it’s filled beginning to end with incredible songs, hilariously distinctive choreography and joke after joke after edgy joke. There are precious few musicals created in this century that are as highly polished and entertaining as this one. Every number is a triumph of toe-tapping synchronicity and witty lyrics and relies on the utter commitment of the cast; no problem for the exceptional group currently touring the country.
Adam Bailey is professionalism-personified as Elder Price; however, though his laidback, casual delivery makes spoken dialogue hysterical, the sound mixing at tonight’s performance meant that his singing was drowned out by the band and other cast members – a real shame for such a talented vocalist. Another such talent is Bailey’s co-star, Sam Glen, as Elder Cunningham; previously played by the likes of Josh Gad and Ben Platt, this role requires the utmost in comic commitment whilst belting out some seriously big notes. The ensemble cast have so much to do in this show; every costume and set change is funnier and more outrageous than the last. Every last person on stage gives 100%; my standouts of the night were Daniel David Griffith as the Doctor and Tom Bales as Elder McKinley for their gorgeous vocals and note-perfect comic acting.
The Book of Mormon is confronting, joyous, stylish and bold. It’s not subtle, and it’s not PC. But it is great.
Confronting, Joyous, Stylish
The Book fo Mormon runs at The King’s Theatre, Glasgow, until May 31st
Running time – Two hours and twenty minutes without interval. Suitable for ages 15+
Review by Annie Aslett – contact@corrblimey.uk
Annie is a not-so-recent graduate of the University of Edinburgh with a degree in French and Spanish, along with a Masters in Translation from the University of Glasgow. A Spanish teacher for three years, she decided to leave the classroom behind to pursue personal goals and has since been regularly reviewing for Corr Blimey’s Glaswegian wing. Annie is a life-long lover of musical theatre, whose childhood performances included a rousing production of Snow White in The Hall and a heartfelt rendition of Go, Go, Go Joseph in The Living Room.
