BWW Reviews: THE BOOK OF MORMON Delivers Perfect Evening at Winspear Opera House

When the creators of South Park, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and Robert Lopez (of Disney's Frozen and Broadway's Avenue Q), decided to write a musical, it was expected that it would include their characteristic offensive humor. And with 49 "f-bombs" and nearly 30 additional expletives, The Book of Mormon exploded onto Broadway in 2011, winning 11 Tony Awards, 5 Drama Desk Awards, 5 Outer Critic Circle Awards and a Grammy Award. The show has continued to flourish with two national touring productions, and an identical presentation in London's West End. The First National Tour, performing at Dallas' Winspear Opera House through this Sunday afternoon, delivers nothing short of a perfect evening of theatre.

The Book of Mormon is the story of two young Mormon missionaries sent to Uganda in hopes of converting the otherwise godless community, who are struggling with AIDS, famine and poverty, into the LDS church. Although the story is intentionally controversial, Parker, Stone and Lopez have cleverly crafted a story that is more inspirational than offensive, despite their best efforts.

As I sit in Starbucks (the unofficial office of this broadwayworld.com editor) and reflect on the show's highlights, actress Alexandra Ncube is the common denominator for almost every standout moment. Even when compared to her Tony-Award-winning Broadway counterpart, whose performance is preserved on the cast recording, Ms. Ncube's rich vocals are invincible. As Nabulungi, Ms. Ncube plays an earnest, young Ugandan, who dreams of escaping to a place with "no suffering, no pain...laughter instead of dying." Even after touring with this role for a full year (as she revealed to me in an interview last month), Ms. Ncube's performance is emotionally raw, heartbreaking and eventually hilarious. It is unimaginable that she has yet to reach the New York stage, where she is likely to have a long, fruitful career.

As her stage partner, A.J. Holmes' comedic timing is absolutely priceless and as strong as Ms. Ncube's. He plays Elder Cunningham, the loud and nerdy (but well-meaning) missionary, and Mr. Holmes is a perfect combination of Jack Black's antics and Napoleon Dynamite's social skills. His unique performance, which has traditionally been played by an overweight actor, creates an onstage energy that is difficult to match. He dominates the stage and displays a powerful singing voice at the end of Act One in his scene-stealing number, Man Up.

As Elder Price, Billy Harrigan Tighe has the perfect look and personality for the role of the charming, confident missionary ideal. With his masterful dance skills and sharp-movements, Mr. Tighe comfortably sails through the show. After performing the same role in London for six months, Mr. Tighe (along with Mr. Holmes) joined this tour last Friday evening, when I first caught the show. Although his vocals improved 5 performance later (when I returned to catch a second glimpse), Mr. Tighe seems to be holding back his energy and high notes. Still, his charm and charisma are enough on the back of this solid show and fantastic supporting ensemble.

Speaking of my return to the show, I was fortunate to witness the second performance of Brian Beach, who joined The Book of Mormon family this week as the hilarious Elder McKinley. With his superb tap-dancing skills and slick, subtle "repressed" subtext, Mr. Beach received special attention from the audience during his hysterical song, Turn it Off, which he performs alongside the impeccable all-male missionary ensemble.

I attended the show with my husband who was a practicing Mormon for the majority of his life, serving his own two-year mission in Russia and eventually teaching Mormon Seminary school. As theatre enthusiasts, we were both extremely familiar with the music, story and humor of The Book of Mormon, but I was eager to hear his unique point-of-view of the show. Although he found one small incongruence in the script (where two Mormons use the phrase "praise Christ"), he shared the same adoration for the musical as I did. Despite my lack of religious beliefs, and my husband's difficult decision to leave the church, we were both moved to tears by the effect the missionaries had on the Uganda community. Especially for my LDS friends and family, it's important to note that, while the show uses some humor to acknowledge some of the more "unique" beliefs of the Mormon church, it is done in good spirit. Although I haven't otherwise prayed since middle-school, I left the theatre (twice) exclaiming "Ma ha nei bu, Eebowai!", grateful for the experience. Although you'll have to buy a ticket to understand that reference, I promise you'll agree.

The Book of Mormon performs at The Winspear Opera House through Sunday, February 22nd, 2015, before taking their mission to Kansas City. To find out where these Mormons will continue next, visit www.bookofmormonbroadway.com.

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