The library is open and The Book of Mormon is back at Sunderland Empire with a show that throws shade in a wildly inappropriate and wholly entertaining way as the cast take Wearside audiences to church once again.
For years now I’d felt like a bit of an outsider, having heard friends talk about the musical, while not going to see it myself, so I arrived at press night fully expecting to have my socks blown off and be left gasping in disbelief by the daring and devilish script.
The Tony award winning smash has put itself alongside Wicked as one of those shows that has developed a fanatical following, with people going back again and again to watch it and it’s easy to see why. The Book of Mormon is one of those shows that demands your attention from curtain up to curtain call, as you’re left wondering just how far boundaries will be pushed.
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While some of its theatrical counterparts teeter on the imaginary line of perceived decency and political correctness, but never dare venture over it, The Book of Mormon pole vaults over it with great abandon and enthusiasm and isn’t afraid to stay on the rebellious side.
While of course, with the creators of South Park behind it, the kind of gags you really shouldn’t laugh at are in the script by the bucket load, The Book of Mormon doesn’t rely on shock humour, it’s musical score is quite fantastic.
Yes, there are scenes, including one with a tap dancing Jeffrey Dahmer, that have you wincing in your seat, but it’s the show’s songs that are the hardest things to forget.
Once the likes of Two by Two, Turn it Off and Man Up get in your head, all resistance is futile- they will be queued up on your Spotify quicker than you can say The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
And the lasting impact The Book of Mormon’s soundtrack has is in no small part to the tremendous performances of the company on stage.
As leads Elder Price and Elder Cunningham, Robert Colvin and Connor Pierson are the perfect on stage partnership and the perfect foil for each other. Stead fast and ambitious Price and chaotic and kind-hearted Cunningham are polar opposites, but the thrown together double act of the two young Mormons dispatched on a mission to Uganda is a joy to behold, with the chemistry between Robert and Colvin anything but forced. The witty and sarcasm laced repartee the fine script allows them to have is pivotal to the success of the show, with the book a springboard for both their undeniable acting talents and superb vocals.
And, when it comes to vocalists, Aviva Tulley had to be up there with one of the best currently on stage in any UK theatre. As Ugandan teen Nabulingi, Aviva acts with real conviction but it’s her pitch perfect deliveries of Salt Tlay Ka Siti which see her really come into her own and earn wild reactions from the Sunderland audience.
Book of Mormon boats a cast full of brilliant actors, with Jordan Lee Davies the ultimate showstopper as he turns on stage alias Elder McKinley into an all singing, all dancing sensation for Turn it Off and Thomas Vernal a commanding force to reckoned with as both the General and Satan.
It’s hard to ignore the lack of political correctness in songs like Hasa Deiga Eebowai, the badly behaved and foul mouthed sibling of The Lion King’s Hakuna Matata and Spooky Mormon Hell Dream, but as well as it’s shock value, The Book of Mormon, while definitely not being for the easily offended, also has plenty of heart. At its foundation are themes of friendship, solidarity, hope and self discovery and it’s some of its songs truly do warm the cockles.
Everything you’ve heard about The Book of Mormon is probably true, but, you know what they say, the proof is in the pudding and this is one dish you’ll definitely want to go back for seconds of.
*The Book of Mormon is on at Sunderland Empire until Saturday, October 29, with tickets starting at just £13
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