The Book of Mormon

There’s a fine line between comedy and cruelty and The Book of Mormon, the gloriously riotous new musical on Broadway happily blurs that line. A brilliant fusion of satire, spoof and old-fashioned musical comedy, the Broadway debut of Trey Parker and Matt Stone is an unapologetic and irreverent send-up of faith, current events and just about everything else imaginable.Parker and Stone, the creators of the animated television show South Park, have joined forces with Robert Lopez (co-author of the music and lyrics for Avenue Q) and Casey Nicholaw (director-choreographer of The Drowsy Chaperone) and the result is a rare and beautiful thing – a creative, topical and full-fledged Broadway musical.As any fan of South Park knows, no one is safe from Parker and Stone’s satire, and for their stage debut they have chosen The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints for their targets. Elder Price (Andrew Rannells), an upstanding and eager member of the church, and Elder Cunningham, a sloppy second-stringer (Josh Gad), are paired to go to Uganda, Africa for their two-year mission trip – much to Price’s disappointment. (He had been hoping to be sent to his favorite place in the world – Orlando, Florida.)Uganda offers plenty of challenges to the bright-eyed missionaries. An epidemic of AIDS and the threat of female circumcision at the hands of a cruel dictator whose name is unprintable have rendered the community depressed and uninspired. Their favorite saying is, “Hasa Diga Eebowai,” which roughly translates as “F*** you, God,” and is performed in a brilliant send up of The Lion King’s “Hakuna Matata.”Price, who is determined to accomplish “something incredible” while in Africa is quickly dismayed by these unexpected challenges and requests a transfer to Orlando. Cunningham, unexpectedly thrust into a leadership role, beings to take numerous liberties with the Book of Mormon, which he has never actually read. His decision to incorporate his favorite science-fiction elements into the teachings is met with eagerness and acceptance by the residents of Uganda, enabling him with more power than he knows how to handle.While the Church of Latter Day Saints is clearly the focus of the show, The Book of Mormon provides surprising insights into religion in general and the idea of what worship actually means to people. Power, faith and the abuse of both are presented in a comedic but also very respectful manner. The company manages to present the characters as both characters and caricatures, allowing the audience to simultaneously remain invested in the plot but be distanced enough to laugh at their antics. The missionary-tap number, “Turn It Off,” which describes the Mormon philosophy of denying feelings that they think are wrong, is a bright and (literally) sparkling musical number, while also providing insight into some disturbing knowledge about the religion’s practices.As Elder Price, Rannells is the perfect bright-eyed golden boy. The smile that remains firmly plastered across his face for much of the show is spot-on, and the doubt and fear he experiences in the latter half of the show is believable while still entertaining. Gad also impresses as Elder Cunningham, bringing real depth to a character that could easily be annoying rather than entertaining. His send up of Bono in the song, “I Am Africa” is dead-on, and his rock-and-roll vocals in “Man Up” are noteworthy. Nikki M. James ably plays Nabulungi (which Cunningham frequently and amusingly mispronounces), and Michael Potts, as her father, delivers an understated, impressively comedic performance.Along with its biting social commentary, The Book of Mormon is a full-scale, old-fashioned Broadway musical. Parker and Stone frequently feature musical numbers in South Park, and their full-length motion picture South Park: Bigger, Longer, Uncut sends up the majority of the Broadway hits of the eighties and nineties. With a first act blatant reference to Broadway’s The Lion King and a second act send up of the “Small House of Uncle Thomas” ballet in The King and I, The Book of Mormon is no different. The song and dance numbers work to further the plot and character development, rather than stall it, which is no small feat in musical theater. (Another highlight is the “Spooky Mormon Hell Dream,” number featuring Adolf Hitler, Genghis Khan, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Johnnie Cochran alongside Satan and dancing Starbucks cups.)Much has been speculated about The Book of Mormon, including whether or not it is an offensive or disrespectful show. It is neither – it is simply brilliant. And for some, that by itself is nothing short of a miracle.