T. Michele Walker
Before “Hamilton” became the hottest ticket in town in 2015, snagging a ticket to “The Book of Mormon” was the biggest “get” on Broadway. During the shows first three years, it was the hottest Broadway show, breaking house records at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre a whopping 22 times.
The Tony Award-winning musical “The Book of Mormon” National Tour played last week at The Walt Disney Theater at Dr. Phillips Center. A musical by Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone, it’s an irreverent yet affectionate look at a group of young Mormon missionaries as they serve their church, spreading their religion in Africa. The show won nine Tony Awards, including best musical, best score, best book and best direction.
Just as fresh as the day it opened back in 2011, “The Book of Mormon” is the story of two mis-matched Mormon missionaries (think Felix and Oscar in “The Odd Couple” if Oscar was a nebbishy momma’s boy and Felix had an unhealthy obsession with Orlando). The two lads end up in a remote village in Uganda. The satire follows Elder Price (Sam McLellan) and Elder Cunningham (Diego Enrico), who is even more Josh Gad-ish than Josh Gad.
The two Elders join their Mormon team in Uganda as they preach and spread the message of Joseph Smith. Apparently, the African villagers have bigger things on their plate: disease, poverty and warlords (if you bring your children, a talk might be in order). Selling things like eternal life as a Latter-day Saint isn’t attracting any buyers until Elder Cunningham spins some wacky yarns and make promises he cannot keep. Hilarity ensues.
McLellan and Enrico’s Elder Price and Elder Cunningham are delightfully mismatched. The talented Enrico shines in his role as Elder Cunningham, a kid with a creative imagination (he lies, a lot) who is in search of a best friend. He’s a terrific comedic actor with a killer voice. McLellan is a joy to behold as the clean cut, puffed-up, Orlando-loving Elder Price, crushed that his prayers weren’t answered, with his assignment to Uganda instead of Orlando.
The entire cast is powerful, with several standouts. Most notable is the delightful Nabulungi (Keke Nesbitt), who has the guile of Bambi. This production truly has one of the hardest working companies, with each actor playing multiple roles, singing, dancing, quick costume changes, with each musical number more energetic than the last.
It’s an irreverent show, not for the faint of heart. There have been many controversies with the production from their original treatment of Ugandans (this version has been revised), the vulgarity, and if you are deeply religious, or Mormon, it might not be your cup of tea. Keep in mind, the same team that creates “South Park” (Trey Parker and Matt Stone) and “Avenue Q” (Robert Lopez) wrote this show.
If you look below the surface, you’ll find a brilliantly structured production, with several nods to the classics (“I Believe” is an obvious parody of “I Have Confidence” from “The Sound of Music”) and probably one of the finest casts to tour Dr. Phillips Center. Even the late, great Stephen Sondheim expressed his support for the show writing a letter to Trey Parker, expressing interest in writing a stage musical together.
Bottom line, this production is a zany, fun, energetic, well-constructed musical, and if you can tolerate some irreverence, this is the show for you.
For information: drphillipscenter.org
Dates: October 22–27, 2024, 1 p.m., 2 p.m., 6:30 p.m., 7:30 p.m. & 8 p.m.
Location: Walt Disney Theater, 445 S Magnolia Ave, Orlando, FL 32801
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