Book Your Seats

As I briefly mentioned on Friday, Thursday night I had a chance to go see "Book of Mormon" in Boston. Looking back now I realize how lucky we were to get the show in, as the show ended just a couple hours before the city went into a lockdown mode. I had been looking forward to seeing this show pretty much since the day I first heard about it a couple years ago (but apparently not enough to motivate myself to go see it while it was still in New York). I'm a big fan of "South Park" and figured since "Book of Mormon" was written by Matt Stone and Trey Parker, who created that show (not to mention "South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut" which was pretty much a musical itself), I knew it was going to be good. It did win the 2011 Tony Award for Best Musical, if that sort of thing matters to you. (I was thinking about it and while I am not usually swayed by shows and movies which have won awards, the Tony's may sway me the least of all. I couldn't even name 5 musicals which have won.) Anyway, "Book of Mormon" tells the story of two young missionaries who are sent to Uganda to preach their faith to the natives and all the shenanigans that happen along the way, all the while poking fun of not only the Mormon faith but all organized religion.

I was slightly hesitant about seeing the show totally cold, because this was the first time I had ever gone to a musical with people who had also never seen it before and without hearing a single song from the album. (Technically I saw "Little Mermaid" in Denver when it was still being work-shopped before opening on Broadway, but it is not like the music was different from the Disney movie.) Normally you see a live show based on recommendations from other people, who then give you a heads up as to which songs are the catchiest, but these were all fresh songs to my ears. When I first walked out of the theater that night I felt as though none of the songs had really been strong enough to be memorable. Well, as I involuntarily began singing a few in the shower the next morning I realized they had been catchy enough to worm their way into my head. Also, I walked away very impressed with not only how intricate the set pieces were, but how easily they were changed back and forth. This may not be the original Broadway cast, but the people working behind the scenes are clearly the top of their profession. I was afraid the show wouldn't be able to live up to my expectations but I must admit it was just as great as I hoped it would be.

I will offer one thing in terms of a warning: I know you are probably saying to yourself that because "South Park" is known for saying outrageous things you are expecting the show to push a few boundaries, especially for a place as stuffy as the theater. (Proving just how out of my element this realm is, most of the ads in the program were for jewelry and safaris). Well, whatever your expectations are for swearing, double them and then add a little more and you'll pretty much go in with an appropriate level of expectations. I don't know if Stone and Parker were trying to shock or just happy to be working without anyone from standards and practices standing over their shoulder, but they really let it fly. I thought it was pretty bad at the time, but it turns out I didn't even get it all thanks to the Boston Opera House's shoddy acoustics. If you are easily offended whatever you do, don't read the lyrics. If nothing else this show has given me a new appreciation for the people who censor "South Park" because if this musical is what results when Parker and Stone are left to their own devices the person in charge of cleaning up the script for the network must have one hell of a tough job.

On top of that you need to get over the whole "making fun of another person's religion" aspect of the night, but since the Mormons weren't outside protesting I assume they aren't that ticked off. (The night I went they were actually outside handing out literature.) Knowing the Mormons appear cool with it is why I feel comfortable saying I can't recommend this show enough. If someone offers you tickets, I highly suggest you take them up on it. Now, I'm not going to lie to you, the tickets are a little hard to come by (I think ours were ordered back in October), you may have to pay above face value to get them and the Opera House is not the best place in the world to see a show (as I mentioned the acoustics were not the greatest. When the entire cast is singing the volume can be a bit much and hearing the actual lyrics can get a little muddled). But, it beats not seeing the show. Plus, this isn't like missing a movie when it is still in the theaters and renting it for later. If you don't see "The Book of Mormon" while it is still in town there is no telling when it may come back around. I had already waited this long and now that I know how good it really is, I certainly wouldn't want to have to wait even longer.