Review: THE BOOK OF MORMON at Straz Center For The Performing Arts

This is one of the hardest reviews I have had to write. Before I expound on my not so positive thoughts, I want to offer a little non-judgmental telling of the storyline. And how I respect the creative process. Being an actress and writer myself, I know how hard it is to put together a production. I understand the creative writing processes, and edit, after edit, after edit. I know how difficult it is to cast a show with an ensemble that gels and brings a production to life. Although I write songs and play a few instruments, I am not much of a songwriter or musician, but have worked with some of the best in the industry and have seen the blood, sweat and tears it takes mulling over each note and lyric. I am not a dancer. I get exhausted watching people dance let alone sing and dance at the same time in musical numbers. I have been to countless rehearsals watching dancers secure each step, making the mark blocked for them onstage, stretching their body to its limits, using facial expressions that tell their character's story and not wincing with the pain their own body is going through at that moment in time. So. There's my build up. I respect the craft and all of the creatives behind what makes entertainment, regardless of genre, so awesome. But...

There are sporadic volts of offensiveness, vulgarity, and F bombs exacerbated by shocking expletives and disgusting visceral imagery throughout The Book of Mormon.

Why? Perhaps we have become a world that looks to shock and awe for entertainment. Nothing seems sacred anymore. How sad.

So here I go into the deep abyss...

The Book of Mormon is a musical comedy about two young Mormon missionaries recruited to Africa to evangelize Mormonism. Elder Price (Kevin Clay) is handsome, confident and full of himself. So Josh Gad (original Broadway headliner) and Olaf-like, clumsy, yet winsome Elder Cunningham (Conner Peirson) knows his nerdy place, lives to serve others and peppers the truth with lies - a lot of lies. All in good faith of course. After being trained up at Mission Control in Salt Lake City, the Elder boys are off to Uganda to join other Elders led by Elder McKinley (PJ Adzima), a Neil Patrick Harris doppelganger. From the privileged white eyes of the newcomers, the task at hand of baptizing the villagers seems manageable. Unfortunately the village is less concerned with their after-life and more concerned with their present life consumed in dealing with AIDS, starvation, poverty and the brutality of the village's militant warlord.

Any theatregoer will catch several déja vu moments throughout the production. A nod to Lion King's memorable "Hakuna Matata" presented as Hasa Diga Eebowai (F God), a party scene grabbed from the absurdities of Monty Python and similar staging from the King and when Tuptim narrates her play Small House of Uncle Thomas is mirrored in the pageant Nabulungi (Kayla Pecchioni) and the villagers perform for their Mormon friends.

It is sometimes hard to separate the theme of the show, especially a show you may not have found agreeable, from the actors who did their job. In all fairness, this ensemble was top-notch. They were all superb singers and dancers and their comedic timing was on-pointe. From vocal styling to bumbling mannerisms, Mr. Peirson perfectly channeled in Josh Gad to a T. Mr. Clay did an especially awesome job singing his ode to Orlando. Ms. Pecchioni was delightful as the hopeful Nabulungi. Like Mr Peirson, Mr. Adzima embodied Neil Patrick Harris and ran with it. The production numbers were lively and entertaining.

The book, lyrics, and music were written by Trey Parker, Robert Lopez, and Matt Stone. Stone and Parker created the animated comedy South Park. Lopez is the Tony, Grammy, Emmy and Oscar winning co-creator of the Broadway musical Avenue Q. Along with his wife Kristen Anderson-Lopez, they co-wrote songs for the feature films Winnie the Pooh, Frozen and Finding Nemo: The Musical". These people are not slackers, not inept and not without well deserved merit and accolades. But...

My question is, are we writing for an audience who want to see this type of irreverence or are we writing to create an irreverent society? Sometimes we humans tolerate a lot to look hip or cool. With so much unrest in our world today, you can't help but ask, what has happened to our society? Watching this production opened my eyes to my tolerance level. I'm not as open-minded as I thought. I prefer light-hearted poking fun at just about anything. I don't think vulgarity is funny, nor the thought of f-ing a baby, or the idea of maggots in your crotch. I will say those of us in the theatre whose jaws were left agape were outnumbered by the uproarious cheers and applause that billowed through the venue.

I think what shocked me even more than the vulgarity of this production was the thunderous approval from the audience.

Book of Mormon plays through December 10, 2017 at Straz Center for the Performing Arts in Tampa. For more information visit www.strazcenter.org

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