Before the Mormon Wives, There Was “The Book of Mormon”

The culture surrounding Mormonism has recently taken over the media landscape. However, we must honor the show that paved the way for this cultural phenomenon: The Book of Mormon.

There is a reason the musical has been on Broadway for over a decade: the success of its humor. 

The show’s farcical nature appeals to a broader audience. People who do not normally enjoy musicals and Broadway vets alike can walk into The Book of Mormon and be greeted with grating satire that comments on The Church of Latter-Day Saints, missionary work, and dictatorships. 

In addition, the show exploits many common tropes that are easily digestible for all audiences. Most of the plot is set in Uganda, where we encounter an ignorant and exaggerated version of Africa that many Americans have built in their head. There are huts without connection to the outside world, AIDS, maggots, and a warlord forcing female genital mutilation on the village’s population. We see the white savior trope played out as the Mormon missionaries try to convert locals to the largely American church. These magnified tropes, paired with the engaging humor, make it hard to get distracted while watching. 

The Book of Mormon is a staple on the Great White Way. While many shows come and go, this show has proved its longevity and created a humorous gateway into the world of Broadway musicals. While the show is not appropriate for younger audiences, the spectacle created at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre is sure to delight out-of-town guests and reluctant theatre-goers the same. 

With inappropriately timed tap numbers, a Spooky Mormon Hell Dream sequence, and a mission that succeeds against all odds, The Book of Mormon will go down in history as an example of the lengths musicals can go to make an audience laugh.