So I weakened and bought a tix for The Book Of Mormon for November for November 3rd .
I had read the reviews, I got the hype. And it sounded funny (but you just know it will go sickly sweet by the end): a jab at the Mormon religion, a sitting duck if ever there was one, and shock horror "Fuck God in the eye".
I am neither offended nor titillated. The songs will have to make em on their own strength. The Fuck God number is a The Lion King rip and not up to much. Stuff like "Turn It Off" is so generic tap dance, it doesn't really exists. I can't hear a single memorable voice. Spamalot had Sara Ramirez. Song after song is the same tuneless hi-jinx. None of it is ever anything better than average.
The story, a coupla Mormons go to Africa to preach the word of the Lord and hit up against African reality, is weak gruel. Between Christianity and AIDS, this would've been a shocker pre-Hair but it isn't really. It is the sort of shocks that make hayseeds feel like Manhattan sophisticates; I don't know what could shock any more? I don't think anything, really. We are past that point in American Theater. For the record, "Showboat's story of miscegenation was shocking in ways "Book Of Mormon" couldn't dream of being. "Showboat" also has a great score. That's what it took once upon a time. Instead we are stuck with pabulum like "The Addams Family" and "Wicked" and this crap.
OK, niot as bad as "The Addams GFamily", the ode to refrehensing your homosexuality, "Turn It Off" is amusing. But the songs aren't really good enough. Really, if this is Broadway Musical satire it pales in comparison to "Spamalot"… not to mention "The Producers". If it is parody, "Forbidden Broadway" is better.
I've heard it a couple of times now and I am just not thrilled. That's all. Not one song is stuck in my head and while I agree, context is everything (nine Tony's. now that is killing), and I am guessing that the book is a blast, the music isn't good enough.
Grade: C+