perri's review
4.0
Until I get the opportunity to see the show, I read The Book of Mormon containing the complete script and lyrics, and listened to a CD of the songs. I know it's a lukewarm experience compared to live performance, but it gave me a sense of the story's funny/vulgar humor and understanding of the show's popularity.
quotidianwriter's review
4.0
The Book of Mormon is coming to town in a few months, and I wasn't sure if it was worth shelling out a bunch of money to see, especially since my wife doesn't like crude humor. So, I decided to read the "book" first, paired with the soundtrack. It's interesting how the creators of South Park and Avenue Q influenced each other in a circular fashion, leading to the conception of this musical.
Overall, I appreciated the originality of the story line and how it pokes fun at Mormonism, which is perhaps an easy target, while also having a surprisingly positive message about faith (along the lines of "Who the fuck cares what people believe!"). From what I know about Mormonism from family members and friends, it felt very accurate to their worldviews and not even that exaggerated. With the level of fantastical lore in the actual Book of Mormon, it's no wonder so many Mormons go on to become sci-fi and fantasy authors...
As far as humor, it fell flat for me. Seeing the live production would probably be funnier, of course, but I've read plenty of plays and musicals that have made me feel what the story intended without me having to actually see it performed. There weren't any laugh-out-loud moments, and the humor seems to rely on shock value and lots of dirty cursing, as expected from the creators of South Park, but I've never been a huge fan of the show. I did like the dark humor, but the rest just wasn't my taste.
The soundtrack, too, isn't the sort of thing I see myself listening to over and over, although there are tons of catchy songs. Josh Gad's delivery was especially great. My favorites were "Hello" and "I Believe."
So, I can see why people love this show, but I'm not hankering to see it live.
Overall, I appreciated the originality of the story line and how it pokes fun at Mormonism, which is perhaps an easy target, while also having a surprisingly positive message about faith (along the lines of "Who the fuck cares what people believe!"). From what I know about Mormonism from family members and friends, it felt very accurate to their worldviews and not even that exaggerated. With the level of fantastical lore in the actual Book of Mormon, it's no wonder so many Mormons go on to become sci-fi and fantasy authors...
As far as humor, it fell flat for me. Seeing the live production would probably be funnier, of course, but I've read plenty of plays and musicals that have made me feel what the story intended without me having to actually see it performed. There weren't any laugh-out-loud moments, and the humor seems to rely on shock value and lots of dirty cursing, as expected from the creators of South Park, but I've never been a huge fan of the show. I did like the dark humor, but the rest just wasn't my taste.
The soundtrack, too, isn't the sort of thing I see myself listening to over and over, although there are tons of catchy songs. Josh Gad's delivery was especially great. My favorites were "Hello" and "I Believe."
So, I can see why people love this show, but I'm not hankering to see it live.
bohowallflower's review
5.0
I loved this musical, and reading the play was just as satisfying. I loved the critique of blinding following religion and not realizing the consequence of hurting other people due to certain beliefs.
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