Review: Say Hello to a Hilarious THE BOOK OF MORMON

Say "Hello!" to THE BOOK OF MORMON boys again. You'll be glad you did!

Though the show has been touring non-stop for the past four years, THE BOOK OF MORMON arrived June 30 for a seven-week stay at the PrivateBank Theatre with its raunchy humor and big heart very much in tact. In fact, the humor feels as fresh as the first time I saw the Broadway production in 2011. The show, a typical fish-out-of-water story about a pair of Mormon missionaries sent to war-torn Uganda, still manages to make you laugh, groan and laugh some more.

Credit is due to the phenomenal cast. Ryan Bondy is charming as the arrogant Donny Osmond-clone Elder Price, who becomes exasperated when his dreams of a mission assignment to Orlando crash and burn. His solo work on "I Believe" -in which is character tries to remain steadfast in his beliefs despite all the chaos and challenges around him, was well-sung and heartfelt.

Cody Jamison Strand is something of a comedic genius as Elder Cunningham, the nerdy, friendless Mormon that Elder Price finds himself stuck with for their two year mission. His character is prone to lies when he gets nervous or feels challenged and Strand captures a sweet manic nature of the character with perfectly timed body ticks and modulating his voice like a cartoon character. He is the best Elder Cunningham I've had the pleasure of seeing and I've seen the show more than four times.

The heart of the show has always been in the character of Nabulungi, the naive female villager searching for salvation from the violent hell that is her tiny town in Uganda. Candace Quarrels completely slays the song "Sal Tlay Ka Siti" and perfectly embodies her character's wide-eyed innocence and desperate longing to find some place other than here.

Daxton Bloomquist is also a notable scene-stealer as Elder McKinley, whose battle with personal demons ("Turn It Off") ends with an hilarious tap routine. Bloomquist's facial expressions throughout the show garnered more than a few laughs and the actor has perfected what I can only refer to as the "Mormon" smile (Mormon friends know what I'm talking about).

The book, music and lyrics are by "South Park" creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone and AVENUE Q composor Robert Lopez (in his pre-FROZEN days). And much like some of the trio's previous works, things get a bit blue at every turn (it is a guarantee that you will be offended at some point during the show, but it's short-lived and you'll be laughing hysterically the next minute).

The secret weapon has always been the show's message and I'm convinced this is the reason why the Church of Latter Day Saints still feels this show is an appropriate vehicle to solicit new converts via a full-page ad in the show's Playbill. In the absence of faith, any religion (be it Mormon, Muslim, Catholicism or whatever) is at best merely a metaphor and, at worst, a collection of nonsensical stories of things that may or may not have happened long ago. It is our belief that transforms written words on a page into something divine.

One final note: I was expecting the references to Orlando to elicit some mixed feelings given the recent mass shooting in an LGBTQ club there, but as horrific as that incident was, it is no worse than the genocide, poverty and forced female-circumcision that occur in both the Uganda of the play and in Uganda in real life. The close proximity of the senseless Orlando tragedy (as opposed to what is still happening in Uganda) might give some theatergoers a moment's pause, though. Without sounding insensitive, I agree with what Elder McKinley would say: "Turn it off" and just enjoy this funny show.

THE BOOK OF MORMON runs through Aug. 14 at the PrivateBank Theatre, 18 W. Monroe. Tickets, $45-$120. 800.775.2000. www.bookofmormonthemusical.com.

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