"What?" my theater companions say to me as we cozy into our seats at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts. "You've never seen 'The Book of Mormon'? You're a theater critic for heaven's sake.
Last year when it came to the Broward Center, I couldn't get tickets. Each time I tried to see it on Broadway, I hadn't planned far enough in advance.
And forget about "The Book of Mormon" tickets being at TKTS. No way.
So finally, it was my chance on opening night to see what all the buzz is about – what's been called "the funniest musical of all time, the best musical of the century," a nine-time Tony Award winner. I was perfectly satisfied to see it not on Broadway and on tour.
The show doesn't need stars, so to see it with a touring cast is A-OK. More famous are the show's writers, a collaboration between the creators of television's "South Park" (Trey Parker and Matt Stone) and the composer of "Avenue Q" (Robert Lopez).
I would have loved to have been on fly on the wall when these three were cooking up "Mormon."
"The Book of Mormon" is certainly not for everyone. It's crass, offensive, and will have you questioning your morals. The musical tells the story of two missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Mormons.
They have finally graduated to embark on their two-year mission trip. Elder Kevin Price (a wonderfully likeable and immensely talented David Larsen) has dreamed of this day, having been committed to the Lord to the letter.
He believes that his devotion will lead him to be able to spread the word and ring doorbells at his fantasy destination – Orlando. But God has a different plan in mind.
He's sent to a small village in Uganda, where its residents are fighting AIDS and being controlled by a gold-toothed, muscled warlord.
Price has also been buddied with Elder Arnold Cunningham (Cody Jamison Strand), a chubby geek who hasn't read the book of Mormon and whose life lessons are formed by characters from "Star Wars," "Star Trek," and "Lord of the Rings."
When they reach Uganda, they meet eight other missionaries who have had little success in converting the villagers.Casey Nicholaw's choreography shouldn't be missed.
The co-director/choreographer on Broadway for "Spamalot," "Elf: The Musical" and "The Drowsy Chaperone" outdoes himself with the number in Act 1 "Turn It Off," where the missionaries tell the two newbies that any feelings need to be shutdown.
Leader of the pack, Elder McKinley (Pierce Cassedy), is trying to fight off his same sex attractions. Nicholaw ends up having the missionaries don sparkly vests and do a good 'ol Broadway tap number. Why, every good Broadway show has a tap number! That's just some of the wrapped up satire that makes "Mormon" laugh-out loud hysterical.
The very "South Park" inspired "Spooky Mormon Hell Dream" in Act II is another choreography spectacle, and includes a dancing Hitler, Jeffrey Dahmer, Johnnie Cochran and a couple of Starbucks coffee cups in hell (Mormons don't drink caffeine). There are plenty of digs at Mormon religion (you're not surprised, are you?) including founder Joseph Smith's claim that Jesus appeared to him in upstate New York. And that he was told to dig up buried gold plates (the creators have some ongoing fun with these and other Mormonism facts.
Strand gets to show off his rock 'n'roll side, almost channeling rock star Meatloaf in "Man Up," inspired by Cunningham's insight that when Jesus was faced with crucifixion he had to "man up."
Denée Benton as Nabulungi, the young Ugandan girl who gives the villagers and the missionaries hope, has the voice of an angel and plays the part with just the right touch of wide-eyed enthusiasm.
The Broadway Across America production at the Arsht Center is top notch. A few sound problems on opening night led to some missed words and with this show, you don't want to miss any piece of dialogue.
Sondheim it isn't, but "The Book of Mormon" is a stroke of genius.
"The Book of Mormon" runs through Dec. 14 at the Ziff Ballet Opera House at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, 1300 Biscayne Blvd., Miami as part of the Broadway Across America-Miami series. Performances are 8 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday; 2 p.m. Saturday; 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $39 – $125 (305) 949-6722 or arshtcenter.org.
