Until now all I’ve known about the musical, The Book of Mormon, was that its won 9 Tony Awards including Best Musical!
Since its first ever opening night in 2011, this is The Book of Mormons first UK tour outside of London and I was so excited and lucky to see it on press night.
The opening scene was genius and extremely well timed as we watched the Elders part take in their Missionary Training Class. The opening song ‘Hello’ was hilarious and made me even more excited to see the rest of what’s to come.
The musical follows Elder Price (Kevin Clay) the ‘teachers pet’ and Elder Cunningham (Conner Pearson) the geeky loner, as they are paired together for their 2-year missionary placement in Uganda.
Whilst in Africa, the unlikely pair become best friends whilst spreading the word of the Latter Day Saints in this absolutely bonkers but brilliant show! These two were fantastic together on stage, both gave spectacular performances.
The show is definitely not for those who offend easily. A reader of mine made that comment before I saw the show and I agree. The musical is full to the brim with offensive language and controversial subjects with no subject off limits including religion, race and sexuality.
But if you enjoy it with an open mind, to enjoy the humour without worrying about political correctness, then you’ll absolutely love it! It was hilarious and the entire packed out theatre loved it also displayed by the standing ovation.
I’m not going to give any of the plot away as I went to see it not knowing anything and I believe that the best way. Look out for special appearances from Jesus Christ, Darth Vader, Hitler and Yoda!
Written by the creators of South Park, (Trey Parker and Matt Stone) and with music and lyrics Robert Lopez (Frozen), it’s no surprise the show is a huge success. The musical numbers are catchy and the lyrics are extremely clever.
The choreography is flawless. My favourite scenes are definitely the ones with the Elders, it’s like watching a cabaret with so much energy. There’s a fantastic song ‘Turn It Off’ where we watch Elder McKinley (Will Hawksworth) and the other boys give an amazing tap number.
The set also had the wow factor! The scene in Elder Price’s ‘Spooky Mormon Hell Dream’ looked amazing! Each scene was cleverly done with perfect set design and lighting.
Special mention to Nicole-Lily Baisden who played Nabulungi (or was it Nutella or Nigel Farage?). Even when the lyrics were insane or madness seems all around, her voice and performance was amazing which a pitch perfect performance.
The Book of Mormon is on at the Palace Theatre Manchester now until 24th August. This show is a must-see! For more information and for tickets see here.
Out and about mummy 