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'The Book of Mormon': Laughing uncomfortably, out loud
Experience Broadway for the first time through The Book of Mormon.
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The marquee for 'The Book of Mormon' musical comedy shines over the entrance to the Eugene O'Neill Theatre in New York City. (JP/Gemma Holliani Cahya)
W
ith both hands shoved deep into my winter-coat pockets, I stood in front of the Eugene O'Neill Theatre in midtown Manhattan, New York City. It was about 7 p.m. and minus 2 degrees Celsius. I started to feel like I should be in my hotel room, sleeping and recovering from my jet lag.
The Book of Mormon -- which earned nine Tony Awards in 2011, including for Best Musical and Best Score -- was playing in the theater that night. People crowding in front of the door could apparently not wait for the musical to start.
It was my first. Growing up in a small city in the eastern part of Indonesia and then working in the capital, I never really had the opportunity to watch a proper live Broadway musical. I had my doubts and worried the experience would not be my cup of tea. Little did I know that the show that night would change that cup.
The 95-year-old theater situated next to Times Square felt very packed when we entered. The theater was small and the seats were not spacious either, but the size of the theater offered audience members an intimate experience with an ideal viewing distance.
As soon as the musical started, dozens of men popped on stage. They wore identical white shirts, black pants, ties and shoes, and incredibly wide smiles. Each held a Bible in their hands and they started to knock on doors.
And just like that, The Book of Mormon and the wonder of Broadway musical had me at "Hello".
“Hello, my name is Elder Cunningham! And we would like to share with you this book of Jesus Christ!”
It was one of the first lines in the musical's opening number sung by young Mormons who are trying to make people understand their faith.
The Book of Mormon is a satirical musical comedy that follows two young American Mormon missionaries: the optimistic but narcissistic Elder Price (portrayed by Dave Thomas Brown) and the sloppy Elder Cunningham (Cody Jamison Strand) who adores and follows Price around. They both left their homes in Salt Lake City to go to a poor remote village in Uganda.
Name a better airport send off, I’ll wait 📷 @j_cervantes
A post shared by The Book of Mormon (@bookofmormon) on
The two naïve missionaries arrive in the village hoping to help the lives of the people there and convince them to be baptized. The missionaries soon realize that the people in the village face complex problems they never saw in Salt Lake City, ranging from AIDS, poverty, famine and drought to oppression and female genital mutilation.
I know I want to rewatch the musical with others, but I think my church-goer friends and my parents would be angry if they ever learned the premise. The explicit lyrics of some of the songs can sound blasphemous, especially in scenes where the village people get angry at God and call him names for all the bad things He let happen.
With an abundance of witty and foul-mouthed song lyrics, the show was a full-on musical entertainment for my first time Broadway experience.
The Book of Mormon features book, music and lyrics by Trey Parker, Matt Stone and Robert Lopez. Parker and Stone are best known for creating the animated comedy series South Park, while Lopez is a cocreator of the musical Avenue Q and has cowritten music for films such as Frozen, among others.
The two-and-a-half-hour show was captivating and I appreciated every little satirical detail of dark comedy in it, including a man who keeps appearing and announcing: "I still have maggots in my scrotum!” Equally captivating was the song "Turn It Off", which tells the story of young Mormon missionaries who remind each other to repress their feelings and keep them hidden: “Imagine that your brain is made of tiny boxes/And find the box that's gay and crush it.”
I went back to the hotel still humming some of the songs from the show. It was such a wholesome musical experience and I would definitely want to feel it again.
The Book of Mormon has been running for nine years since it was first staged in March 2011. It has been performed at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre more than 3,500 times and it still receives a standing ovation after each show. Tickets are available the theater's official website. (wng)
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