Landing itself among Broadway’s best sellers, “The Book of Mormon” is a beast of its own. A wild, brilliant beast that is as captivating as it is powerful and unpredictable. Delightfully graphic, it triumphantly parades across all of the lines of what is reasonably offensive; the explicit language disclaimer does not cover it. Everything is fair game for jester-ly jabs, there is no holding back of the mocking punches.
Yeah, it definitely just went there. And we relish in the obscenity (most of us anyway … The sweet looking old lady who was sitting in the seat immediately in front of me did not return after intermission.)
The show is currently playing at the University of Arizona’s Centennial Hall, through April 8.
It’s definitely not for everyone, but anyone who is familiar with the work of Matt Stone and Trey Parker, the creators of “South Park,” should have some idea of that they are getting themselves into. In fact, that’s what a lot of people come for, the goading humor that is sure to drop some jaws, drawing hilarious satirical parallels from real-life stereotypes.
It’s like people who go to scary movies want to be scared, people who go to this want to be appalled. And to laugh, of course.
It’s so funny because it’s relatable and true. Matt and Trey’s distinct “South Park”-esqe voices narrated the opening scene. It was a nice touch, and their daring demeanor was present through and through, almost upstaging their own audacity with every scene along the way.
The “tomorrow is a Latter-day” pun, one of the more G-rated jokes instantly won me over, but their charismatic interpretation of “Mormon Hell” was by far my favorite part.
The sardonic plot line of two Mormons’ seemingly hopeless mission to baptize the people of Africa is not all that makes this piece so provocative and profound. It is a musical after all, with stimulating song and dance numbers that are catchy and entertaining. No two are alike, and they are rife with creative genius.
The set was very vibrant, and ever changing and visually appealing. Very well put together with attention to detail.
The actors executed everything with great energy and liveliness. A theater major attendant, Kalyn Wolf, who has seen the play several times in other cities, noted that not only was it very well directed, “the actors were very committed and believable, and the subtleties were quite noticeable.”
Wolf was among many who were seeing the play again for the second, third or even fourth time. After the show, the crowd was all smiles and had nothing but good things to say about it.
Monique Irish is a senior studying journalism. Follow Daily Wildcat on Twitter.
