My husband and I just saw the Book of Mormon Musical at the Majestic Theatre in San Antonio, Texas…
The Book of Mormon Playbill…
My husband, Bill, is an ex Mormon and a lover of all things South Park, so it was especially fitting that we’d go see the controversial musical brought to us by Trey Parker, Matt Stone, and Robert Lopez. Back in late August, I noticed The Book of Mormon Musical would be playing locally for about two weeks. I got us tickets and we went to the last performance on Sunday, September 29th at 7:30pm.
I gotta say, The Book of Mormon Musical is not a show for the faint of heart. If you are offended by swear words or extreme sexual humor, you might do well to pick a different show. Frankly, it takes a lot to offend me, so I really enjoyed the show. The cast was led by Welshman Mark Evans, who played Elder Kevin Price, a gung ho missionary who wanted to serve a two year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Orlando, Florida. Instead, he and an annoying compulsive liar named Elder Arnold Cunningham (played by Christopher John O’Neill) were sent to Uganda. As soon as they arrive in the east African country, the two young men are confronted by the harsh realities of life in Uganda, where the locals are much more concerned about survival than joining a new church.
The two young men meet the rest of the missionaries assigned to Uganda and find out that they haven’t managed to convert a single soul. Then they meet a lovely villager named Nabulungi (played by Samantha Marie Ware) who may be receptive to learning what they want to teach her. Will Elder Price and Elder Cunningham be able to teach these Ugandans about Mormonism? You’ll have to see the show to find out. I don’t want to ruin the plot by giving too much of the story away. I laughed pretty much non stop from start to finish, though.
Let me just say that Bill and I had a wonderful time at this show. We found it very entertaining, though there were a few niggling details that weren’t totally accurate. We did overhear one guy say that he understood most of the references; he had never studied Mormonism. We heard another guy explaining to him some of the nuances that he didn’t get. Bill thought the guy was probably an ex Mormon, like he is. It does help to know a few things about the church before you see the show, but I think most people who can handle the language and humor will be entertained even if they don’t.
This is a shot of the stage at The Majestic Theatre…
The Majestic Theatre in San Antonio…
The Majestic Theatre in San Antonio is really beautiful and historic. It was a treat to see this show there, even though I ended up having to peek between the people sitting in front of us because they were tall and the woman had big hair. The Majestic Theatre has a full bar, though Bill and I didn’t partake. We had dinner at Biga On The Banks, where we enjoyed cocktails and wine.
The opening number “Hello”, which was featured on the Tony Awards in 2012.
This is from the 2012 Tony Awards. Here, Elder Price is played by Andrew Rannells, who sings “I Believe”.
Bottom line? We loved The Book of Mormon Musical and would see it again. In fact, we enjoyed our night out at the Majestic Theatre so much that I’m going to keep my eyes peeled for more shows and concerts. We’re really lucky to live so close to such a lovely venue.
