2.5 out of 5.0 stars
I am not a Mormon, but as a Christian, I knew I was still taking a risk with this one. I knew it would be outrageous, but was still not prepared for how much The Book of Mormon goes all out. It is rude. It is over the top. It is offensive to more conservative people. That’s its unapologetic goal. There are some interesting messages going on underneath and the show still has surprises and takes more than one serious turn, but to start analysing all that you do need to look through a lot of 18+ language and content and that will be asking too much for some people. Indeed, if I had known what I was in for, I would not have gone.
The Book of Mormon is funny and plenty of the characters are full and likeable. A significant percentage of the jokes is the bad language itself though, often assuming it will be funnier when done in an African accent. Some humour comes from the beliefs of Mormonism; I presume these are well-researched because if they weren’t the whole satire would lose its power.
I didn’t have an issue with the portrayal of the Mormons themselves; it is the Ugandan villagers that are the problem. They are obviously designed to be in as much contrast to the religious, upright Mormons and in doing so they are at an unpleasant extreme.
If you haven’t walked out yet, there are possibilities to think deeper about this musical and beneath the surface is still a story not entirely void of meaning. It touches on honesty, faithfulness in friendship, and serving others authentically. Clashes between cultures and true understanding between different people are also in there. But the goal is not really to message those things as much as it is to be shocking and controversial. Ironically, without the liberties and freedoms that owe themselves to the Judeo-Christian worldview in the first place, such a show would not be possible.
The orchestration sounds really musical-ly, which I liked. It is hard not to like The Elders with their happiness and energetic, joyous dancing. How they work together makes them feel like they merge into one big character. At times the choreography made it look like a cartoon. Hardly surprising given who wrote it. Sean Johnston was confident. Nick Cox is a new favourite. The orchestra and sound mixing was done to perfection. The stage was effective, but not excessive in terms of effects. It didn’t need to be as the performers filled the space with their sound and talent. Australian theatre showed off its high standards tonight.
But the fact that it was done well is not enough to make me recommend it. Do some research about this one when you are considering if it’s for you and who to go with. You need to know what style you are in for.
