The Tony and Olivier award-winning ‘The Book of Mormon’ first premiered on Broadway in 2011 and swiftly transferred to the West End two years later, and it has been a rip-roaring success ever-since. Now on it’s first UK tour – which actually began in 2019; after a few pandemic postponements, it finally reached Norwich Theatre Royal for a two-week run.
The story follows two near polar-opposite Latter-day Saints missionaries, Elder Price and Elder Cunningham, as they attempt to preach the faith of the Mormon Church to the residents of a remote village in Uganda. Though the sprightly young men are met with nothing but disinterest from the locals, as they (rightfully so) feel their issues of HIV/AIDS, famine, female genital mutilation, and oppression by the local warlord are slightly more pressing than joining a religious cult.
This show isn’t for the faint of heart or easily offended, for this musical comedy has music, lyrics, and book by Trey Parker, Robert Lopez, and Matt Stone. Parker and Stone are best known for creating the animated comedy South Park, while Lopez had co-written the music for the musical Avenue Q. If you know those shows, I feel like it may say enough. If you don’t, just be warned of explicit language and some questionable political correctness!
I’ve often explored the thinking of what makes this show a hit – especially given how quickly the world changes, particularly around humour and what might be deemed as going too far or crossing a line. And I can see both pros and cons in a story and humour such as this. There are several moments where you laugh more from shock in a ‘did they really just go there?!’ way – but that’s the beauty of dark humour. It’s so razor-sharp, that it catches you off guard. It pushes everybody’s boundaries, and there’s fun to be had with that.
You also have to remember that it is a satirical look at the beliefs and practices of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and while focusing on one religion and part of the world; it doesn’t leave others behind either. That said, the musical does essentially endorse the positive power of love, friendship and service. It’s outrageous in the best kind of way.
The score is catchy, comical and heaps of fun; a few highlight numbers for me were Turn It Off, Sal Tlay Ka Siti and Man Up as there were some excellent performances. The set mirrors that of other productions, which makes for a high-quality touring production that we are lucky to have hit the region.
This cast are brilliant. Conner Perison as Elder Cunningham was undoubtedly the stand-out for me; I think you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who doesn’t love the character of Cunningham with his dorky charm, and it requires a very specific energy and humour to pull-off but Conner hits the mark every time. Aviva Tulley as Nabulungi was also a joy, her vocals were so clean and crisp, I loved any moment we got to hear her sing. We also had Patrick George as Elder McKinley, who played him with such a fun and witty campness. Though the whole cast are great, and I love that while you do have leading characters, it feels like quite an ensemble piece where everyone gets to have a little moment to shine.
If you leave your inhibitions at the door and just take this show for the chaotically deeply dark humoured musical comedy that its meant to be, then say ‘turn it off’ to the outside world for two and half hours, and enjoy getting lost in the laughter.
The Book of Mormon runs at Norwich Theatre Royal until Saturday 5th February, for more information or to book visit norwichtheatre.org/the-book-of-mormon.
For further tour dates visit: thebookofmormonmusical.com.
