I expected to be shocked by “The Book of Mormon,” the new Broadway musical by South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone.
And I was… in an unexpected way.
The language is pure South Park. The F-word is well-represented, and the C-word — two different iterations, mind you — makes its first appearance on the Great White Way.
There are a couple of potentially offensive moments — one in song, one in shall we say ‘visual representation’ — but last night’s audience was game for both.
The show definitely takes its shots at Mormon history and traditions, getting a lot of laughs from the story of Joseph Smith and his golden plates. But the humor, while mocking, is never cruel.
What was unexpected was how much affection Parker and Stone display for the Mormon missionaries at the center of their story. Elders Price and Cunningham are sent to Uganda for their mission and are immediately confronted by poverty, AIDS, warlords, scrotal plagues and more.
Yes…scrotal plagues.
Naive and ill-prepared, uber-Mormon Price has a crisis of faith and schlub Cunningham rises to the occasion in unconventional yet successful ways.
The tone reminded me a bit of the movie Stuck on You, the Farrelly brothers winner about two conjoined twin brothers starring Greg Kinnear and Matt Damon. I worried the film would make fun of the two; instead, it celebrated how their differences made them more uniquely able to succeed in the world.
“The Book of Mormon” has the same charm, the same heart…just more four-letter words.
Above all, it is outrageously funny, with sight gags galore, none of which I will reveal because that would totally blow it. The musical numbers are so clever, and the dance sequences manage to be huge and hilarious at the same time.
“The Book of Mormon” just may be the best musical on Broadway.
Now that I didn’t expect.
What he said
Females of the world, take note.
If you’ve ever wondered what would capture the attention of men young or old, married or single, here’s your answer:
I’ll explain.
I attended the matinee performance of the revival of The Normal Heart on Broadway yesterday. Jim Parsons — Dr. Sheldon Cooper in The Big Bang Theory — makes his Broadway debut in the play. That’s why I went. That’s why I wore the tee (with a black leather jacket). Girl’s gotta represent.
I certainly didn’t expect to get smiles and hellos from every guy I passed — some with their wives and girlfriends in tow.
I also never expected to be mesmerized by this play.
The Normal Heart takes place during the rise of the AIDS crisis in New York City, centering around the experience of writer/activist Ned Weeks, the gay Jewish founder of a prominent HIV advocacy group.
Yep. Those were all Joe.
He is surrounded by an amazing ensemble cast in The Normal Heart. John Benjamin Hickey (The Big C), who plays Ned’s lover Felix, is the heart of the play, and Ellen Barkin, as the doctor fighting this new unknown disease, is its backbone, strong and sure. (All three are nominated for Tony Awards, deservedly so.)
The Normal Heart is shades of light and dark, funny and sad, bitter and sweet. I learned a lot about New York City and its response — or lack there of — to the AIDS crisis. I saw some incredible performances. I shed a tear or two.
And I learned the power of a tee. Not a bad afternoon.
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Posted in Broadway, Celebrities, Commentary, Education, Entertainment, Health, History, Humor, Life, Love, Television, TV
Tagged acting master class, AIDS, Angels in America: Millennium Approaches, Assassins, bazinga, Bazinga t-shirt, Broadway, Broadway director, celebrities, commentary, Dr. Sheldon Cooper, Ellen Barkin, entertainment, Health, Humor, Jim Parsons, Joe Mantello, John Benjamin Hickey, life, Manhattan, New York City, Saturday matinee, Take Me Out, Television, The Big Bang Theory, The Big C tv show, The Normal Heart play, Tony Award nominations, Tony Awards, TV, Wicked