BWW Reviews: THE BOOK OF MORMON at Aronoff Center For The Arts

A booming voice narrates a seemingly ridiculous fable to a lively pantomime. Blinding smiles of eager missionaries vigorously ring doorbells and sing "Hello." Sharp choreography and multiple vocal parts layer in an energetic and infectious opening number. It takes just ten minutes of the THE BOOK OF MORMON to know that you are in for a fun but over-the-top ride.

The current tour, performing at the Aronoff Center for the Arts until April 3, is a well-oiled machine. Dances were precise and energetic. Voices were full and strong. Characters were just what you would expect from the creators of South Park: ridiculous, oftentimes offensive, but somehow lovable. The story is simple enough: too-perfect Elder Price is paired with too-awkward Elder Cunningham and vested with converting Africans in Uganda. The African community is besought by every calamity indicative of a third-world nation and are not an easy sell. Both missionaries learn about themselves and their faith and manage to find success despite the long odds. It's a Disney-like plot, but smothered in explicit humor, shameless stereotypes, and a heavy dose of satire.

As Elder Price, Ryan Bondy effectively captures the struggle of the kid who has succeeded too easily for too long, only to crumble at the first big bump in the road. The role is incredibly vocally challenging, and despite hints of fatigue and a too-thin resonance for my taste, he delivers every high note-and there are a lot of them. Cody Jamison Strand's Elder Cunningham is the perfect balance of pathetic and personable. His speech affectations are timed for laughter, and when he's not goofing off his singing surprises you with its clarity and strength.

The standout performance, however, was Candace Quarrels as the African villager Nabulungi. The role risks becoming a generic heroine: the teenage girl with an overprotective father but dreams of something more. And though it takes a little time, in Quarrels hands she becomes a sweet, funny, and heartbreakingly lovely leading lady. The second-act reprise of her first-act solo was devastatingly beautiful.

The show is written by the minds behind South Park. It is crude, offensive, and unapologetically so. There are at least two songs that go on much longer than necessary, and they are the filthiest. But there are many moments when the show finds a perfect balance of raunchiness and delight. The duet "Baptize Me" is a comedic achievement-a super-catchy love song about baptism, but also maybe sex, that becomes only as dirty as your mind lets it. It is further enhanced by Quarrels's and Strand's spot-on performance. The ensemble is energetic and tight, an important detail in a show that's been on tour as long as this one has.

And under the giant smiles and snazzy steps, the discerning eye can find poignant commentary on the consequences of living too dogmatically, whether out of religious decree, hope for rewards, or a need for security. I'm not sure that "this book will change your life," as the song claims, but it will certainly provide an excellent night's entertainment.

BOOK OF MORMON runs until April 3 at the Aronoff Center for the Arts. Tickets can be ordered by calling 513.621.ARTS or visiting http://cincinnati.broadway.com

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