This is my review of the Book of Mormon Musical by Trey
Stone, Robert Lopez, and Matt Stone. These are the same people who created
South Park and Avenue Q, so you know this musical is bound to be offensive in
both crude and a doctrinal way.
Why would I want to listen to it then? First, The Book of
Mormon Musical is still the biggest hit on Broadway almost two years after its
debut. Thousands have seen the show, and tickets are still impossible to get.
Within the next few months a Chicago cast, London cast, and touring cast will
begin putting on the show. As more people see it, they may have questions about
the church. For many, this may be all they know about us. I think it is important
to know where they are coming from when that conversation begins. Second, a lot
of times I think as members of the church we over-react to criticism and jokes
about the church. (Not to say that there isn’t a line that can be crossed. I’m
looking at you Bill Mahr.) I think this comes from our background of being
persecuted as a church, having our members murdered and being driven from place
to place. To relate well to others in society, we need to be able to handle the
criticism and mockery better and to not take everything so personally, especially
when others don’t mean to be overly offensive. All this said, I don’t intend to
listen to this non-stop, memorize it, and embrace it as the best musical of all
times because I know that in parts it is crude and doctrinally incorrect. This
is purely for understanding.
Hello – This song
serves as the introduction the musical. It features missionaries ringing
doorbells and introducing people to the Book of Mormon. The song is up-beat,
innocent, and fun. It also gives positive introductions to the Book of Mormon,
saying the book is a most amazing book, a book about America a long time ago, a
book with awesome parts, a book that can change your life, a book of Jesus
Christ, a book with information you can really use, a book about eternal life,
and that the book is free. The song also introduces Elder Cunningham, a new
missionary who is somewhat dumb as to what we actually believe, but that is
obvious. There are two brief parts of the song that I dislike. First, they say
Jesus lived in the USA. It makes us seem crazy because the U.S. was formed in
1776, and Christ never actually lived here, he just visited thousands of years
before that. In the world there is one fold, and one shepherd. We believe he
visited people in the old and new world during his ministry. Second, in the
song several of the missionaries tell people to have fun in hell if they reject
the message. Setting aside our beliefs about the afterlife, seldom (hopefully never,
but missionaries aren’t perfect) would a missionary actually say that to
someone’s face. Overall I really enjoy this song as an introduction to the
musical. Song 5/5; Offensiveness 0/5.
Two By Two – In this
song, the missionaries at the MTC are assigned companions and areas of the
world to serve by someone that sounds like a game show host. It’s not quite how
that works, but it helps move the plot along more so than explaining the call letter,
and how companions are actually assigned. It captures how missionaries wonder
where they will go, and how they hope for fun locations before they actually
know where they’ll be. The missionaries are the soldiers of the Church of Jesus
Christ—of Latter-day Saints. The song is up-beat and enjoyable. Key to the plot
is Elder Price, the hot-shot know-it-all missionary is assigned to serve with
Elder Cunningham, the idot missionary. They will serve in Uganda. Song 4/5;
Offensiveness 0/5.
You and Me (But
Mostly Me)— This song is about the hope a missionary feels when he first
goes out. He hopes to change the world, and convert hosts of people. Elder
Price knows he is going to be a good missionary, while Elder Cunningham knows
he is not as good. Every hero needs a sidekick, and every captain a mate,
right? Song 4/5; Offensiveness 0/5
Hasa Diga Eebowai—Did
I mention this musical was written by the creators of South Park? Here is the
first evidence of that. Let’s just say that the title translates to something
that says the people of Uganda don’t care much for God. When bad things happen,
they curse God. It’s the only way for them to get through war, poverty, famine,
and everything else bad that happens. Having a saying makes is all seem better.
Yeah. This song is crude and offensive. It makes Africa seem like a terrible and
a backwards place. It uses crude and offensive language throughout. I would
have only given this song a 3 or 4 on the offensive scale, but the tribal
chants the last minute of the song shoot it straight to the top of the scale.
Song 2/5 Offensiveness 5/5
Turn it Off—This
is the District Leader teaching the new missionaries how to deal with disappointment,
but I’m pretty sure this song is only in there to attack the Church’s position
an homosexuality. ‘When you start to get confused about thoughts in your head,
don’t feel those feelings, hold them in instead’. When it is pointed out that
you’re okay with the church if you don’t act on those feelings, the song turns
into ‘keep it down, like a dimmer switch on low, because nobody needs to know’.
Just know that the church does not tolerate abuse whatsoever, thinks you should
be with dying family members instead of at the Apple Store, and knows that God
loves all of his children unconditionally, but expects chastity from all people
who are not married. Also, I feel bad if people are so simplistic that they
believe they can ignore problems and they go away. Part of the purpose of
prayer is understanding and accepting God’s will. Ignoring reality does not
draw you closer to God and does not enlighten you. If you really have to
struggle to understand an issue, that is when God can tutor you, and that is
when you grow the most. Song 4/5;
Offensiveness 4/5.
I Am Here For You—Elder
Cunningham tries to comfort Elder Price, who is discouraged because they haven’t
baptized anyone yet. Elder Price has doubts that they will, while Elder
Cunningham has faith they will, and that his dad will finally be proud of him.
Song 2/5; Offensiveness 0/5
All-American Prophet—This
song is all about Joseph Smith. It explains that he was a prophet who found the
plates, met with Moroni, translated the Book of Mormon, published and
distributed the book, moved west, and was ultimately martyred. The song is factually inaccurate, and does its
best to make the story seem untrue in my opinion. They go out of their way to
make it seem like Joseph simply started digging by a tree in his backyard to
find them. In reality, he was lead to them by the angel Moroni after other
miracles had transpired. God puts people where he needs them to be, so it is no
surprise that Joseph was near the plates. The major problem I have with the
song is that it repeatedly argues that Joseph refused to let anyone else see
the plates and even if it made people question him, and that that questioning was
what God was going for. Right in the front of every copy of the Book of Mormon,
there are statements from 11 witnesses that they saw the physical plates. Song
3/5; Offensiveness 4/5
Sal Tlay Ka Siti—An
African woman starts believing in the church because of the danger she faces in
Africa, and thinks that Salt Lake City must be Paradise on Earth. Paradise?
Maybe not, but I really like Salt Lake! It is interesting to listen to what the
woman believe Paradise would be like. This song is the most ballad-like of the
first act. Song 3/5; Offensiveness 0/5
Man Up- This song
leads into intermission and has a rock tinge. Elder Price is discouraged, and
requests a transfer to Orlando. He is sure the Lord has made a mistake on his mission
call. He also dumps Elder Cunningham as a companion. (As if that is how either
of those things remotely work! I’m sure a lot of missionaries wish that it were
like that though…) Alone, Elder Cunningham realizes that he must man up and be
the leader now. Song 2/5; Offensiveness 1/5
End of Act One
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