Guest Post: by Ian – An Early Review of The Book of Mormon Musical.
This past Monday I had quite the Family Home Evening-I saw a preview performance of the new BOM Musical. I was in NYC for work and wasn’t going to miss my chance.
Cutting to the chase, the show is amazing.
To paraphrase Parker and Stone, who wrote this musical, the Latter-Day Saints present a perfect case study of two competing principles, each of which seem paradoxically true:
- religion is based on absurd, verifiably false truth-claims that lead adherents to all sorts of ridiculous and often harmful conclusions; and
- those same faith traditions produce meaning, hope and positive change in the world and the life of the believer, even amidst the starkest examples of theodicy and pain.
The BOM Musical lived up to this thesis. It will be appreciated by many, but none more so than by unorthodox Mormons, followed closely by the disaffected and reformed of other traditions. By the end of the show, there is a clear call to see past the literalism and orthodoxy of those running the institutionalized religion, to embrace metaphor, and to make the faith your own. This is of course, by some measures, the genesis of all faith traditions. It turns out that Mormonism, with its American Prophet, is a classic break from orthodoxy; an embellished, made-contemporary form of Christianity, recast for localized norms and needs. (“Did you know Jesus came to America?”). The BOM itself is so very 19th Century. For the purposes of exploring Stone and Parker’s thesis in a comical, scatological way, Mormonism works beautifully.
I am no theater critic, but the music and dance in the BOM Musical were tons of fun. For this reason alone I won’t be surprised if it is a wild success. The “Spooky Mormon Hell Dream” was so NOT Mormon, yet wildly funny (Johnny Cochrane and Starbucks Coffee are right there in hell with Hitler and Jeffrey Dahmer). There was also a spot-on number about cognitive dissonance (“Turn it Off!”). You could tell who among the crowd had a Mormon identity (or past identity) because they were the people laughing the hardest at this one.
I’ll admit that for all my liberated and apostate-lite views, I cringed at times. A scene mocking a convert baptism brought back a flood of emotional experiences from my mission. As funny as it was, the scene bothered me. I just instinctively recoiled. As far along as I am in my disaffection and unbelief, it was amazing how viscerally “wrong” some of it still struck me (suggesting I have more Mormonism in my bones still than I thought). But that is really the South Park comedy mojo. I wasn’t expecting anything different. In the Tolstoy, evocative sense of the term, the show is real Art. Make no mistake, this is not a musical for your orthodox, True Believing Mormon family and friends.
In the end, I died laughing, which in my opinion is half the battle for any musical (Confession: I usually only see musicals when forced to by my wife). There was something so very cathartic and thrilling about alligator-tear laughing at an exaggeration of my past-self in a crowded Broadway theater. So much of the LDS missionary experience is there, even if its in melodramatic, gross terms. The silly sentimentalism and earnestness of Mormonism works perfectly for this story.
I walked back to my hotel after the show feeling like I had been laughing for 2 hours. I also felt surprisingly inspired. (Almost as inspired as I felt earlier that day at a real latter-day temple, the MoMA). For me the BOM Musical was faith promoting, albeit in a New Order Mormon kind of way. I wanted to reconnect with my own inner-Elder Price, notwithstanding all the pain, absurdity and evil I see. And yes, I get that principle number 2. above is anything but clear cut. (Along those lines, my favorite line of the show: “I still have maggots in my scrotum!”). But I still want to believe.
Other than being way more fun, seeing this show was ultimately like being in an LDS Church on any given Sunday-I was both offended and inspired. I had to remind myself, it’s just a show. And its just Church.
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Ian is a 5th generation Mormon. He is still not sure how he feels about that. He lives in Dallas and practices law by day (and often by night). He served an LDS mission to Santiago, Chile, in the late 1990’s.
OH gosh, I am totally, utterly and completely tantalized by your review here!! I hope you’re right, I hope it makes it BIG!! I’m banking on this being a huge catalyst for bringing more orthodox members to a more NOM sense of their beliefs…I think it could really get the ball rollin’!
Very interesting review. I’m so glad you shared this with us, Ian. I have been disinterested in reading about this show for the reasons you described here–I think it would make me cringe. And I think it would seem “viscerally wrong,” as you mention. but now you’ve piqued my curiosity.
Alas, I live in Texas and will not be going to NYC anytime soon, so I’ll have to rely on others’ perspectives.
Ian, so awesome that you got to see this so early and then turn it into a seriously compelling take. I love the juxtaposition of the two crazy points right at the beginning, followed by some very personal observations. And it’s so true – people can leave the church but they can’t leave it alone … you always take something of it with you.
Have you seen much of Big Love series? How would you compare the effect of the satire in that production and this one? Particularly, as Ashley notes, on how it might impact the church membership?
Thanks for the preview, Ian! The paradox you mention cuts right to the heart of things… I’m always amazed at my defensive responses towards an irreverent look at the LDS church, based on my upbringing, too. These things are written deeply on our minds!
What better to shake things up than a bit of humour, though?! I want to see this.
I think the cringing is kind of like I can pick on my family all day long, but I don’t want anyone outside my family to make fun. We know the good (and there is considerable good, a thing which Stone and Parker seem to appreciate) and the bad.
If it makes it to the West End, count me in. :)
Well put Heidi. As others have said, Momonism is a dysfunctional family, but damn it it’s my family.
Thanks Matt. And thanks to D&S for posting it.
I saw the first three seasons of Big Love, but I am not current.
In theory, the BOM Musical is so grossly melodramatic that it should be easier for Church members to see the satire and commentary. It is so obviously a joke, and comedy makes it easier.
Big Love is sometimes too real. In my experience, Mormons get hung up on the whole, “But that is Not Us!” Making that point in response the BOM Musical is unnecessary. It’s obvious. At the end of the day though, I think most of the Middle American Mormon crowd won’t get past the South Park ethos. Most active LDS, if you could get them in the theater, would walk out. If that sounds condescending, I am sorry.
The open minded D&S types of liberal Mormons are rarefied birds in my experience.
Totally agree with you on the audience for this thing, Ian. I just watched the David Letterman interview over at YouTube. Love these guys …
Letterman: “So, when people go there it’s gotta be funny, right?”
Stone: “Yeah, well it’s hopefully funnier than the real Book of Mormon”
Letterman: “Well, you got your work cut out for you.”
Stone: “We just had to get it funnier than the Book of Mormon itself.”
To your point about comedy making it easier to recognize and appreciate the satire … in your review you conveyed the equalizing nature of the comedy to the outrage or even queasy response to some moments. What impact do you think the experience will have on the long-term effect of this type of satire – you know, as a vehicle for truthful expression? Are they helping or hurting … net bottom line?
In terms of broader American culture–I think it helps. In the long term that should push Mormons in a positive direction. In the short term for Mormons, I think those disposed to learn will learn, and those disposed to reinforce a TBM world view will do just that.
A broader good then, it sound like. And a narrower, more sharply defined and entrenched fundamentalism seems likely then. Funny thing, this dual notion in Mormonism of a ‘rock rolling forth to fill the world’ and a ‘great falling-away’ or threshing down to a small, select few. One will win the other will be forgotten or set-aside for some ambiguous future.
Great review. I’d love to see it it for no other reason than to see if I am past “cringe-worthy” moments. I suspect I am, but I don’t really know. The opening number sounds great to someone like me, who vacillates between atheism and misotheism. Parker and Stone appear to take a less caustic view of religion than, say Chris Hitchens, who argues quite forcefully in God is Not Great that “religion poisons everything.” It seems that Parker and Stone see religion as relatively benign even as they cannot help but skewer the object of religion, God Himself. In other words, they seem to be making the argument (such as it is) that religious-minded folk are just trying to make the best of the mess that God made. Thus, their work is misotheist or maltheist in that God is worthy of being mocked rather than worshiped. At the same time, their hatred for God does not translate into a hatred of the religious believer but instead results in a stance of compassion and even admiration for the Elder Prices of the world. I think that combination is what might give this musical the chance to really connect with people.
Oh, and I love the pic. Is that some unorganized matter over yonder?
Ian… been trying to get here to read this all day on Matt’s recommendation and I was not disappointed!! I love the review, the show sounds great, and I hope you will contribute again to D&S.
Ian,
Your last name wouldn’t be Hardin would it. If so, nice to see you have moved on from Mormonism and joined the ranks of us heathens. Hope you are doing well.
Carl
Carl, that is not me. And I haven’t totally left. Mormonism is the Hotel California.
Hi Ian, I liked your review. I actually kind of hate musical theater, I have flashbacks of being press-ganged into Stake roadshows as a Lamanite guard. No one could be bothered to create a convincing spear though. It’s not easy to hold up a cardboard wrapping-paper tube in menacing way.
I probably will not see the Parker/Stone musical, mostly b/c I don’t think their humor is very funny. Their ambivalence toward religion in general, however, does highlight a similar ambivalence in the church today. Namely, how to manage our brand to an increasingly scrutinizing audience. The old-school bunker Mormon will be feeling a lot more discomfort in the next few years.
PS. Long live the Ballif Boyz!
Thanks Collin. True Dat re Ballif.
The baptism scene was likely “viscerally wrong” to you because mocking a person’s beliefs whether they be Christian, Buddhist, Taoist, etc. is not a healthy or loving thing to do. It all too often creates division. It’s interesting how people feel ok about mocking Joseph Smith, Jr. or Jesus or Christianity in general but they wouldn’t think of mocking the Dalai Lama for instance.
I find far more substance in Tony Kushner’s Angels in America than in the Book of Mormon Musical. Too much hype for a guy who’s not much of a South Park fan.
Maybe because the Dalai Lama is alive and has branded himself, in the West at least, as a cute monk? I think people mock Buddhism all the time. Who hasn’t rubbed the golden belly of the “Fat Buddah” after a meal at a Chinese restaurant?
If there was a Mormon themed “Scones and Jello” restaurant, would people want to touch a replica handcart for good luck on the way out?
I think this brand of humor mocks religion to provoke reactions like the above. If I have learned one thing from Project Runway, it’s that a bad review gets more attention than no review at all.
I don’t have anything to say other than I appreciated this!
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