Trey Parker and Matt Stone may be the most genius comedy writers of our time. They began a little cartoon show, maybe you've heard of it, South Park which has been running for sixteen amazing seasons. Their political/social commentary is unparalleled right now. There's more to learn about society and popular culture from South Park than there is from any news show or magazine publication. I recently watched a documentary about South Park called Six Days to Air, which if you have Netflix I highly recommend you check it out. It basically shows how episodes of South Park are thought up, written, animated, recorded, packaged and shipped ready to air in only six days. On Wednesday night when you're watching the newest episode, just know that next week's episode has yet to even been thought up. That's how incredible these guys are. Their comedic minds are always working, always on. And the way the world is right now, they'll never be out of source material.
It's evident that music has always been a staple of any Parker/Stone collaboration. Beginning with their first film they made in college, Cannibal! The Musical, to South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut, to the ever-popular Team America: World Police, music has been a huge factor. If you watch the South Park movie, it can almost be viewed as a Broadway musical. And I know for a fact that the Team America soundtrack has sold nearly as many copies as the movie itself. So, it was only the logical next step for Parker and Stone to write a Broadway hit. What's great about the two is that they don't just put out shows or films to collect a paycheck, they're always challenging themselves to create something unique that the world has never seen before. A musical about cannibals, a Mormon who becomes a porn star (Orgazmo), a TV show/movie cartoon made with paper cut-outs, an action movie solely starring marionettes. Is there anything left for these two to do?
What's great about the inspiration of the musical is how it book-ended itself. When Broadway writer/composer Robert Lopez saw South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut, he was inspired to write the Broadway hit Avenue Q. When Trey Parker and Matt Stone wanted to write Team America: World Police, they went to see Avenue Q for research. There, they met Lopez which eventually led to the creation of one of the funniest, poignant, and informative musicals of our generation: The Book of Mormon.
The Book of Mormon tells the story of devout Mormon Elder Price at the age of 19, ready to go off on his two year mission. He's prayed every day that he'd be send to the most wonderful place in the world: Orlando. Instead, he's sent to Uganda, Africa along side fellow Mormon Elder Cunningham-- a fat, sloppy, uninformed, pathological liar. Once in Uganda, he's united with his fellow missionaries who have been there for years, yet unsuccessful thus far in performing a Baptism on the locals or converting anyone to Mormonism. That's pretty much all I want to reveal about the plot, because it's just so damn brilliant, giving anything further away would cheapen the experience. I would also recommend avoiding listening to the recording of the songs (save for the one posted below) so that each moment of the musical is new, exciting, and downright hilarious.
In the hands of lesser talent, The Book of Mormon could've been a giant f*ck you to the Mormon religion. It could've easily gone the route of chastising their beliefs, degrading them and religion as a whole. However, Parker and Stone are masters of the, while unsubtle, delicate parody. Instead of being two hours of straight Mormon bashing, they've created real characters, with real beliefs set in an environment where God is hated. Elder Price is a real person who, like almost anyone in an organized religion, sometimes questions his beliefs but holds strong because he truly knows the eternal reward will be great. Elder Cunningham is, in the performance I saw, a little bit over the top, mugging for the audience, but still, deep down, has a wonderful heart and truly cares about humanity. He's a pathological liar, but he lies not to hurt others, but to make people like him. He's a bit of a weirdo outcast who only wants one thing: a best friend.
The message of the play is not Mormonism, or rather religion for that matter, is wrong. It's that not everything written, whether the Bible or the Book of Mormon, should not be taken literally. It's meant to be understood metaphorically and that the core basis of any religion is that people should be good and humane to one another at the end of the day. It's when any religion takes text written literally that trouble can arise. Matt Stone has been quoted as saying the play is "an athiest's love letter about religion". And this is very evident in the play. Yeah, they poke the most jabs at Mormons, taking passages of text out of context and exposing them for ridiculousness, but they're doing it lightheartedly. Mormons are the focus, but religion is the over-arching theme. From everything I've read, most Mormons actually enjoy the show because it's not demeaning them for their beliefs. It's parodying them, poking fun at themselves in the most whimsical way.
There's a bigger picture at play here. First World Problems are distinct when privilaged white religious boys are sent to third world countries trying to preach about a God in a setting ripe with famine, poverty, and AIDS. The introduction of Uganda and the Elders leads to the funniest song I think I've ever heard ("Hasa Diga Eebowai"). It's an incredibly vulgar and offensive song, but when looked at from the perspective of the villagers singing it juxtaposed with the newbie Mormons, it is an apt representation of how illogical it should seem to be able to convert these people. I honestly believe everyone should see this show. It will speak to you as well as hurt your cheeks from how much you're laughing. It's a brilliant show and one of the best musicals I've ever seen. Whether you're just a South Park fan or a die-hard theater buff, this is one show that shouldn't be missed by anyone.
A+
As an added treat, here's a song from the musical that was performed last year at the Tony Awards. It will be extra incentive to go and purchase tickets to see the show. The show will ONLY be at the Pantages Theater in LA until November 25th. Check it out... it's awesome.
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