Book of Mormon
Prince of Wales Theatre Coventry St, W1D 6AS £24 - £117
Written by the creators of South Park, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, The Book of Mormon was always set out to be full of childish obscenity. The story follows two young Mormon missionaries who have been placed in Uganda, with the aim of promoting the word of the Latter-day Saints. The show opened on Broadway, making its debut in the West End in 2013, and won funniest West End show in 2014. A full six years since opening, and this belter still manages to sell out almost every night, bringing in praise by the bucketful.
I had great expectations coming to see the show, as everyone I know who has seen it assured me how fantastic it was. I didn’t, however, have any expectations regarding the script or the general themes covered. Admittedly, the first act had me in stitches, with coarsely vulgar jokes thrown around left, right and centre. Themes surrounding genital mutilation, AIDS and even the raping of babies do make you cringe but are all executed ironically and with good nature (what a weird sentence...). In fact, in a time where there is so much conflict surrounding the need for comedy to be more PC, it is thoroughly refreshing to know that there is still a show as popular and offensive as this: a show where all political correctness is thrown well and truly out the window, replaced with a rude and uncivilised script where absolutely everyone is ridiculed, regardless of gender, race or sexuality.
Despite the story line being quite frankly, a load of nonsense, the way it is executed is of an exceptionally high standard. Every single actor on stage is filled with energy; the two leads being exceptionally good singers as well as the young, blonde and latently homosexual Mormon, who was my favourite of the entire show. Not only are the actors brilliant as individuals but work exceptionally well as a whole. The choreography whilst funny is flawless, and the stage presence of the ensemble of either the African villagers or Mormon missionaries is always filled with bursts of enthusiasm, entertainment and flare.
The set is a gift which keeps on giving: appearing initially quite basic, before being turned upside-down and sideways to portray numerous contrasting scenes: even the very depths of hell (my favourite scene overall). We were seated in the circle row F and had a seriously good view and were able to see every single actor on stage; proving that you simply needn’t pay over £100 per ticket to enjoy a theatre experience. What’s more is that when there is an ensemble of actors as large as this, the dancers in the background can often get lost when you are observing them from down in the stalls.
Overall, the Book of Mormon is a fun-loving and outrageously offensive comedy, which demands to be seen. There’s a reason why people love its lack of solemnity or remorse, and I think it’s just what we need to keep us all sane. A remedy for the mad modern world? Go to The Book of Mormon to get thoroughly offended, then laugh about it.
(images not my own)
OVERALL RATING: ****
https://thebookofmormonmusical.com/london/
