A Night With The Book Of Mormon

Haven’t been able to get on here to blog for a while. Work and life and all their various pleasures and pains conspired to keep me from writing. But last night I finally got a chance to see the Tony winning Book of Mormon and felt compelled to write about it.


If you haven’t seen it yet, then I must insist you stop reading right now. Part of my enjoyment of the show is in not knowing the complete details of the show and enjoying each hilarious surprise. So don’t allow me to spoil the pleasure for you if you intend to see it.

The Book of Mormon is one of those experiences that truly lives up to the hype surrounding it. It’s hilarious, slightly twisted, and charming. It’s the story of young Mormon missionaries sent to Uganda to convert the locals. Expecting The Lion King, they instead find a village full with crime, Aids, and a populace terrified of the local warlord General Butt Fucking Naked and his plans to circumcise all the women in the village. The boys have to overcome all of these obstacles to convert the locals so that they may do something incredible and blowing “God’s freaking mind.”

Storywise, the show is full of the usual clichés and tropes. What brings the show to life is the magic that creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone brought to South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut. It’s clear that they have an unbridled love for musicals and that this is no parody but a traditional musical filtered through their own deliciously demented world view.

I mean who else would dare to tackle not only female genital mutilation, but the basic absurdities at the core of all religions. Not always the lightest of topics, but they manage balance it perfectly with their goofy poop humor. You will never laugh as hard as when you hear the phrase “magical fuck frog”.

Although not the original cast, the current ensemble is quite strong and funny, and I have to say I really enjoyed the chorus of Mormon’s who play a number of roles. They had a goofy infectiousness to their performances that made me smile.

Since telling people that I got tickets for Book of Mormon, I have heard so many times from people that they want to go. Now that I’ve seen it, I want to go again.