Review: The Book of Mormon

The message on religion was enlightening and the production quality stellar, yet with dated jokes and lacking memorable songs, The Book of Mormon falls flat and is anything but God’s gift to musical theater.  I know, I know…this was supposed to be the greatest musical ever!  Regardless, I entered the theater really hoping to like it, but two acts and one intermission later, I found myself completely bored.

For those who don’t know, The Book of Mormon is about two young Mormon missionaries assigned to work in Uganda.  Their task is to spread the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints to a country ravaged by war.  The show has the potential to be both a comedic masterpiece and a prophetic statement on faith in the 21^st century.  And yet, The Book of Mormon fails in both areas because of three key problems: direction, humor and music/lyrics.

The Book of Mormon’s plot is solid; however the direction of the show is what keeps it from being more than mediocre.  Much of the show’s problem is that it never seems to define itself.  Is The Book of Mormon a, critique of the Mormon faith, personal statement on faith in general, satire of religion/religious missionaries or musical farce?  With a solid creative team that includes Matt Stone and Trey Parker (South Park) and Robert Lopez (Avenue Q); it’s tragic to think the writers couldn’t provide the show with greater guidance.

Adding to the misdirection are the show’s jokes, some of which are good, but most seem like old-school shtick you’d expect to see in a second-rate lounge act in Atlantic City.  This includes mispronouncing foreign names, mocking religion and jokes about homosexuals misinterpreting their sexual identity.  Some of the jokes can be cruel, but most seem like material that failed to the make the cut of a South Park episode.

And if the jokes were bad, the songs weren’t any better.  Sounding like someone threw Avenue Q, Wicked and Spamalot into a blender, The Book of Mormon’s music and lyrics lack originality.  Yes, there is a song which says ‘F&$% You God in the A$$,’ but much like the jokes, the songs are second rate.  Once you move past the shock value, there isn’t much that’s really there.  It’s a disappointment since the same creative team also gave us such phenomenal musical numbers as “Blame Canada” from South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut and “America (F&$% Yeah)” from Team America: World Police.

I went into The Book of Mormon really wanting to love it. Entering Los Angeles’s Pantages Theater, I couldn’t have been more thrilled and excited.  Leaving, I was bored and felt ripped off.  All this hype and it wasn’t worth it.  If the show has one redeeming quality, it’s the message about a person’s own relationship with the idea of faith.  For a show charging upwards of $60 to sit in the last row of the theater, faith alone wasn’t worth the price of admission.

The Book of Mormon is currently on Broadway, touring the United States and preparing for a London Production.  To get tickets or to learn more, please visit: http://www.bookofmormonbroadway.com

On the road again…..

MarqueePolitics is hitting the road this week for vacation.  One of the stops along the way is to see the national tour of The Book of Mormon in Los Angeles at the Pantages Theatre during its opening week.  So with that on the agenda, let me take this time to answer some frequent questions I get about touring productions of Broadway shows.

Q: Why see a show on tour?

A: Sometimes I choose to wait to see a show go on tour for various reasons.  As for The Book of Mormon, like you, I couldn’t get tickets to the Broadway production, nor could I afford tickets to the Broadway production.  When I heard the show was going on  tour I decided to wait.

In Los Angeles, I’m sitting in the front mezzanine, a ticket which costs me $80.  On Broadway, that very same ticket would have cost me upwards of $155.  So sometimes, to be cost effective, I wait to see a show on tour.  Hey, theater isn’t cheap.

Q: What’s the difference between a touring production vs. Broadway production?

 A: It really depends on the show, but generally not much.  A few of the sets maybe scaled down, but the show is generally a carbon copy of the Broadway production.   Music, lyrics, plot and choreography are all the same, nothing changes. 

Q: Is there a quality difference between touring and Broadway productions?

A: No, all Broadway tours are Broadway quality.  There are some minor differences, but generally none that are very noticeable.  In some cases a touring production is better than  the Broadway production; see my recent post about The Addams Family.

Q: Since tours don’t have the original Broadway casts, are they worth seeing?

 A: This is the most frequent question I get asked, and the answer is absolutely!

Just because a tour isn’t the original cast, it shouldn’t dissuade you from seeing a show.  Many tours are populated with Broadway veterans, and in some cases their performances are better than that of the original casts.  Also, Broadway shows aren’t written for stars like they used to be when Irving Berlin would write for Ethel Merman.  

Finally, I’ve seen many regional and touring productions where the local leads are better than their Broadway counterparts.  And who knows, you may be seeing a star in the making.  A star doesn’t make the role, the role makes the star! 

Q: Where can I find out which shows are coming to my town?

A: The following are all great websites to find information about shows coming to your town.  Also, many public libraries and art museums also have information touring and regional productions. 

            http://playbill.com/events/listing/3/Regional-Tours-Shows/

            http://broadwayacrossamerica.com/

 See you when I get back, and yes, there will be a Book of Mormon review!