Saw the touring production of The Book of Mormon at the Princess of Wales Theatre. It outrageously and relentlessly (and blasphemously) mocks God, religion and Mormonism, and does so with an impish smile on its face. Like the well scrubbed youthful Mormon missionaries who ring doorbells and offer a “book that will change your life,†the show offers ebullient innocence and earnestness (even as the characters sing “F -you†to God) rather than mean-spiritedness. Humorous choreography and songs that are pastiche of Broadway show tunes (from Annie to Wicked to The Sound of Music and the King and I) further lighten the mood even as our young American protagonists are sent to an African land rife with murderous warlords and AIDS.
Musical theatre audiences tend to skew old and female, but The Book of Mormon is drawing younger people and men, and that is good to see. It’s not a show for the easily offended, but I did not see anybody walk out. In fact, this is the second appearance of the show in Toronto in two years. For the cash-strapped, $25 lottery tickets are available at the box office 2 ½ hours prior to showtime.