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| Ryan Bondy, AJ Holmes and the cast of "The Book of Mormon" Photo: Jeff Busby |
Book, Music
and Lyrics by Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone
Directed by
Casey Nicholaw and Trey Parker - Choreographed by Casey Nicholaw
Scenic
Design by Scott Pask - Costume Design by Ann Roth
Musical
Direction by Stephen Oremus
Lyric
Theatre, Sydney
Sydney
premiere – 9th March 2018 – reviewed by Bill Stephens
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| Zahra Newman, Ryan Bondy, AJ Holmes and the cast of "The Book of Mormon" Photo: Jeff Busby |
If you’re
comfortable laughing at jokes about raping babies, AIDS and female
circumcision, and seeing Ugandans portrayed as foul-mouthed yobbos, then you’re
going to love “The Book of Mormon” as much as the Sydney opening night audience
clearly did.
Written by
the team responsible for the hit television series, “South Park”, and the
musical “Avenue Q”, the humour is deliberately offensive, blasphemous and racist,
it pushes the boundaries at every opportunity. It’s also a brilliantly written, ridiculously funny,
rapier sharp assault on organised religions told through the adventures of two
naive graduate Mormons, Elder Price (Ryan Bondy) and Elder Cunningham
(A.J.Holmes) who, for their first assignment, are posted to an unsuccessful
mission in Uganda run by Elder McKinley (Rowan Witt). Here, they find
themselves in a hostile environment in which the locals have more to worry
about than listening to sermons from well-meaning missionaries.
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| Phyre Hawkins farewells Ryan Bondy and AJ Holmes on their journey to Uganda. Photo: Jeff Busby |
Ryan Bondy,
as the Golden Boy, Elder Price, and A.J.Holmes as the Jerry Lewis-ish, habitual
liar, Elder Cunningham, delight with pitch-perfect bravura performances that
immediately establish the cheeky tone of the show. Both have played these roles
in American companies of the show, but they blend perfectly with the energetic
ensemble, which includes former Canberran, Billy Bourchier, and who, besides playing
multiple roles, execute Nicholaw’s demanding choreography with confidence and panache.
Zahra Newman
triumphs as the progressive village girl, Nabulungi. Her duet with A.J. Holmes,
“Baptize Me”, with its sly double entendre, provides one of many highlights during
the evening.
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| Zahra Newman invites A.J. Holmes to "Baptize Me" Photo: Jeff Busby |
Sugar-coated
with Broadway pizazz in which Casey Nicholaw’s inventive choreography wittily
references other Broadway shows, and a succession of catchy, serviceable songs
to keep toes a-tapping, “The Book of Mormon”, is brilliantly staged,
wonderfully entertaining and surprisingly thought-provoking.
While it may
not become your favourite show, it will certainly rate among the more
memorable, and the most talked-about. So you’ll certainly have to have seen it
to join the conversation. Add it to your “must see” list.
This review also appears in Australian Arts Review. www.artsreview.com.au
