Created by Robert Lopez, Trey Parker, and Matt Stone, The Book of Mormon, is one of the most successful musicals of all time, maybe for its irreverence and satire.
It follows two young mismatched missionaries, Elder Price and Elder Cunningham, played by Dom Simpson and Tom Xander, as they attempt to preach the faith of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to the inhabitants of a remote Ugandan village.
The show went through some rewrites before reopening after the lockdown. The creators of the musicals, in fact, agreed to go over the show with key actors to discuss points of unease, but really, there didn't seem to be any real wholesale changes.
As a duo, the tow leads complement each other well, Simpson's smooth but straight-laced Elder Price balances Xander's awkwardly dorky Elder Cunningham nicely. Leanne Robinson is the sweet, innocent and beautiful Nabulungi – or Nuttella.
Fast-paced, engaging, and very funny in its absurdness, the show was awarded nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theatre Album. After more than 10 years since its opening, it is still fresh, clever and filled with many good musical numbers (be prepared: “Hello!” will randomly pop into your head for days afterwards!).
Behind its fame as irreverent musical that pushes the boundaries, it has, at its heart, a positive message, and addresses real social issues that many comedies don't tackle. It's about humanity.
But most of all, the Book of Mormon is a musical full of energy that will have you laughing until the end.
It runs until 13 May 2023. Tcikets from £24 here - and you can have an extra 8% off with the code LTR8
Photo: Luke Dillon