Book of Mormon the musical
Prince of Wales Theater – London
Two Digital Gypsies Rating – 4.5 Stars
We had special interest in seeing Book of Mormon the musical because before moving to England we lived in Salt Lake City for seventeen years, the Mormon capital of the world. We found out that it was playing in London at the newly remodeled Prince of Wales theater so we booked tickets. We had to wait two months. That’s how far in advance the show was booked up.
Book of Mormon the musical is from the creators of South Park and they take an irreverent look at Mormon (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) Church doctrine.
The performance starts out in the Missionary Training Center and the actors are portrayed as fervent and somewhat gullible pawns in the church who are sent out to spread the word to the rest of the world. Unfortunately for the two main characters Elder Price and Elder Cunningham, they are sent to Uganda in Africa. No spoilers here but after arriving in Africa all sorts of hilarity ensues.
The music and acting in the musical were superb. You’ll find yourself humming or singing many of the musical numbers weeks later. We bought the music score on CD and I highly recommend you pick one up after the performance.
We were curious to see if the local London audience would get many of the barbs aimed at the Mormon Church, and they did. Be prepared to roar with laughter during the performance. Language used is coarse and blunt. I wouldn’t recommend taking anyone under 17 or someone easily offended to see the performance.
By the end of the show you feel that even though Elder Price and Elder Cunningham are presented as naive, there is an endearing and likable quality about them. You’ll find yourself rooting for them as the performance proceeds. This could be a result of the writing, the acting, or maybe both combined.
If Book of Mormon is playing in your area absolutely buy tickets for the performance even if you have to wait a couple of months to see it.
