THE BOOK OF MORMON REVIEW

February 5, 2015
2 mins read

Missing Event Data

The Book of Mormon Unlike Anything You Have Ever Seen Before

The FSCJ Artist Series presents the national tour of the Tony award-winning musical, “The Book of Mormon,” part of the Broadway in Jacksonville Season, at the Times Union Center, 300 Water Street in downtown Jacksonville. For information and tickets, call 442-2929 or visit artistseriesjax.org.

The satirical “The Book of Mormon” received nine Tony awards in 2011, which included Best Musical, Best Book, and Best Original Score. The play was originally conceived in 2003 by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the guys from the “South Park” TV show, who later asked songwriter Robert Lopez, famous for his work in the award-winning “Avenue Q,” to join them in this new creative effort. Several years of development followed.

Research included trips to Salt Lake City to interview Mormons who were or had been missionaries, a voluntary choice strongly encouraged by the church (formally known as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints).

The creators took an enormous chance, by-passing the option of an out-of-town or Off-Broadway theatre, and went directly to the big stage, opening on Broadway in 2011 at The Eugene O’Neill Theatre. The production was a smash hit, and with sold-out houses and average ticket prices of over $170, backers recouped their initial investment of eleven million dollars in just nine months.

Much has been written about this show by critics who have seen it on Broadway or during a road show performance. It’s best for those who are open-minded about the subject matter of satire. Don’t expect to learn a lot about the Mormon Church; of interest, the program includes church advertising recommending thebookofmormon.org for information about the original source material. Advisory: the play contains explicit language and situations; leave the kids home.

The simple plot is the story of two young Mormon missionaries sent to the East African county of Uganda. Elder Price is disappointed with his assignment; he had hoped for Orlando. Elder Cunningham doesn’t care where he’s assigned; he’s never had friends and now he and Price will be inseparable companions for the next two years. They travel to a remote village in the northern part of the county, ruled by a tyrannical and brutal military warlord, who is constantly terrorizing the population. When they attempt to spread the teachings of their Mormon faith, they are largely ignored by the residents who are more concerned with problems like AIDS, poverty, and starvation than with salvation.

This is a musical, so there are catchy tunes, cutting satire, and cascades of spirited bad taste humor. Let us answer questions Jacksonville audiences might ask. It is funny? Yes, especially if you like your humor Monty Python or South Park style. How is it as a theatre piece? It has excellent sets and costumes and is a fast-paced show. The choreography is frenzied but lots of fun. The songs have clever lyrics, and while none will make the hit parade, we especially liked the zany “Spooky Mormon Hell Dream.” The original production auditioned hundreds of actors, then selected twenty-eight. This road show has excellent talent with fine voices. And while this show may appear to have been conceived just to offend religion, its overall purpose is entertainment; entertainment with a happy ending!

Still not sure you want to take the plunge and see what is considered a ground-breaking musical, language-wise, anyway? Then check out “Book of Mormon” on YouTube, where you can find cast recordings, for a good idea of what to expect.

If you like musical theatre, you’ll want to add this to your list of experiences, as it is unlike anything you have ever seen before.

The Dual Critics of EU Jacksonville have been reviewing plays together for the past nine years. Dick Kerekes has been a critic since 1980, starting with The First Coast Entertainer and continuing as the paper morphed into EU Jacksonville. Leisla Sansom wrote reviews from time to time in the early 80s, but was otherwise occupied in the business world. As a writing team, they have attended almost thirty Humana Festivals of New America Plays at Actors Theatre in Louisville, Kentucky, and many of the annual conferences sponsored by the American Theatre Critics Association, which are held in cities throughout the country.

They have reviewed plays in Cincinnati, Chicago, Miami, Sarasota, Minneapolis, Orlando, New York, Philadelphia, Sarasota, San Francisco, Shepherdstown, and The Eugene O’Neill Center in Waterford, Massachusetts. They currently review about one hundred plays annually in the North Florida area theaters, which include community, college, university, and professional productions.

Current Issue

SUBMIT EVENTS

Submit Events

Advertisements

SingOutLoadFestival_TheAmp_2025
liz-buys-houses-digital
generac-home-standby-generator-banners

Date

Title

Current Month

Follow FOLIO!

Previous Story

Ritz Theatre & Lavilla Museum: 2015 WINTER/SPRING SCHEDULE

Next Story

St. Mary’s Little Theatre: Winter/Spring schedule

Latest from Comedy

June Comedy Listing

June 4 Marvin Hunter Comedy Zone comedyzone.com June 5 Comedy Showcase  Just One More instagram.com/JustOneMoreJaxFl June 5-7 Ryan Davis Comedy Zone comedyzone.com June 6 First Coast Comedy The Main Event, 7 p.m.  The Blue Show  (21+ only), 9:30 p.m.  First Coast Comedy firstcoastcomedy.com Joey Nickel Really

May Comedy

May 1 River City Comedy Showcase Josephine eventbrite.com FUNdraiser for PossAbilities Plus First Coast Comedy firstcoastcomedy.com May 1-3 David Landau Comedy Zone comedyzone.com May 2 First Coast Comedy The Main Event, 7 p.m.  The Blue Show  (21+ only), 9:30 p.m.  First Coast Comedy firstcoastcomedy.com The Funny Together

March Comedy

March 1  Matteo Lane Florida Theatre floridatheatre.com Tacarra Williams Comedy Zone comedyzone.com First Coast Comedy The Main Event, 7:30 p.m.  Adult Show (21+ only), 10 p.m.  Secret Stand-Up Show (21+ only), 11:59 p.m. First Coast Comedy firstcoastcomedy.com March 5 AJ Wilkerson Comedy Zone comedyzone.com Steve Hofstetter

Jax’s Comedy Evolution 

Words by Johvan Merilus  Jacksonville may not exactly be New York City when it comes to a vibrant entertainment scene, but the River City has been growing by leaps and bounds, especially when it comes to comedy. For decades, the city’s focus when it came to entertainment was

February Comedy

Feb. 1 First Coast Comedy The Main Event, 7:30 p.m.  Adult Show (21+ only), 10 p.m.  Secret Stand-Up Show (21+ only), 11:59 p.m. First Coast Comedy firstcoastcomedy.com Feb. 7 Sal Vulcano Florida Theatre floridatheatre.com Hester Ross Cafe Eleven. St. Augustine Beach originalcafe11.com Feb. 7-8 First Coast Comedy
July 5th Cleanup
GoUp

Don't Miss

FSCJ ARTIST SERIES BROADWAY IN JACKSONVILLE ANNOUNCES THE 20/21 SEASON

HEADLINED BY THE TONY AND GRAMMY-AWARD WINNING BEST MUSICAL DEAR

Rob Clove Talks Bandstand: The Musical, Presented by FSCJ Artist Series

EU Talks with Bandstand’s Rob Clove Before each performance of