The Book of Mormon, from the creators of South Park, is an outstanding and clever musical that sparks controversy throughout every performance. This brilliantly written play has scenes depicting the Church of Latter Day Saints as futile and desperate. Trey Parker, Robert Lopez, and Matt Stone, the men who created The Book of Mormon, added the perfect amount of humor to enhance the protagonist’s Mormon journey.

This musical is about the adventure of missionaries Elder Price and Elder Cunningham to Uganda to help spread the Mormon word to the native people. Things fell apart when Elder Price realized that the village people have no intention of being baptized into the Mormon faith, especially since the warlord General Butt F*cking Naked wanting to take away their rights while threatening to circumcise the women of the village. With zero baptisms, the Mission president is not satisfied with the Elder’s work. Elder Price believed this to be a good thing, hoping for a transfer to the beautiful place of Orlando, Florida. When his partner Elder Cunningham baptized the entire village as a result of his fabrication of the book and its teachings, the Mission president decided to pay a visit. During the President’s visit, the village people decided to perform a play to portray all the inaccurate teachings of Elder Cunningham. The missionary Elders were sent home due to the embarrassment they had brought onto the Mormon faith. Elder Price and Elder Cunningham decided to stay, mainly to continue spreading the good Mormon word, but also because of Elder Cunningham’s love interest.

This Tony Award-Winning musical is quite a thrill. The actors nail their roles and make this musical very believable. Whether it was a gay missionary or an actor hired to give the boys a taste of what Africa is like, I was sold. The scenery and special effects really help audiences visualize the places visited throughout the play. Dim lighting with a dark color scheme fit the theme of Uganda as well as bright lights, colors and happiness beaming from each black tie at the missionary training camp. I appreciated the feeling the effects gave, making the location real, which live theater should always give. The music is very catchy and really impressed me through the entire performance. Each song had the perfect balance of humor and seriousness that enhanced the quality of the musical. The songs are what really sold me. One aspect that also captivated me was the small details that are usually not the main focus of the audience. These bits of comedy were primarily the reason I enjoyed this show because they happen throughout the performance and help give an insight on how the writers truly wanted each character to be. Picking up these small innuendos helped me truly understand what the musical is about, and how clever the writers are.

With the same humor as South Park, fans of that show would be fans of this one. I personally do not like South Park, but I found myself enjoying the musical more than I thought I would. This musical taught me things I didn’t know about the Mormon religion while pointing out its (many) flaws. The Book of Mormon is hilarious and witty. I now understand the nine Tony Awards; it is definitely a must watch. This musical also taught me new phrases to use when the going gets rough; “Hasa diga eebowai”, how to “turn it off”, and that “tomorrow is a Latter Day”.