REVIEW: The Book of Mormon
Joan Marcus, 2013
As they say, money talks. Who cares that The Book of Mormon won 9 Tony Awards, that The New York Times says, “It’s the best musical of the century” or that The Daily Show‘s Jon Stewart calls it, “A crowning achievement. So good, it makes me angry”? Just listen to this – currently, The Book of Mormon is pulling in $19,000,000 a month. What that means is two things: 1) it is well executed; and 2) it pleases the masses. When I was offered tickets to see The Book of Mormon, I jumped on that offer faster than you can say “I have maggots in my scrotum.” I knew little about this musical except it was super popular and written by the South Park boys Trey Parker and Matt Stone and Avenue Q co-creator Robert Lopez. Sure, the show is a bit offensive at times (hence the maggot quote) but there were plenty of grandmothers in the audience having a great time. They knew where the line was and walked just close enough to it without crossing it. I also appreciated that the humor was not lewd for the sake of only getting a cheap laugh but it genuinely complemented the story. Throughout the entire performance last evening there was one thing running through my mind and that was “this is worth all the hype.”
The Book of Mormon tells the story of two young Mormon missionaries in Uganda. The Book of Mormon is nothing short of hilarious. The singing and choreography are superb. The story is compelling and the music is stronger than I expected. My first thought when sitting down to write this review is that I need to consciously focus on not using the word “brilliant” in every sentence. This would be quite the challenge though as every aspect of The Book of Mormon really is brilliant. The writing, the music, the set design, the choreography, the acting, the singing, the dancing were all noteworthy. Every aspect is brilliant and no part stands out as being more brilliant than another. The scene portraying Mormon hell was something I wish I could watch over and over again. I can’t wait to listen to the music again and perhaps catch more funny quotes that I may have missed.
As I mentioned above, I could sing its praises for days but what is most persuasive is The Book of Mormon’s success. The crowd was diverse and everyone was having a great time. This is really the show everyone and their mother is dying to see. You just have to try to catch it while it’s in town.
As you may expect, tickets are very hard to come by but there is a $25 ticket lottery before every performance. This is a great way to give everyone a chance at seeing The Book of Mormon if you have a tight budget. Click here for more information on the ticket lottery.
Through February 17, 2013
The Orpheum Theatre
Minneapolis
Ticket information