Review: ‘Book of Mormon’ likely to offend, sure to entertain

Let’s get the burning question out of the way up front: Will you be offended by the raunchy humor and controversial religious satire of “The Book of Mormon”?

Very likely something will strike an unexpected nerve and cause a momentary gasp, no matter how sophisticated you are.

But you will also probably be laughing too hard at all the other moments in this Tony-winning best musical to worry too much about hanging onto any outrage.

The humor – from “South Park” creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone and “Avenue Q’s” Robert Lopez — is sharp and extreme, but it is absurdist rather than malicious or mean-spirited. Consider a tap-dancing chorus line of young Mormon missionaries in their spiffy white shirts and dark ties. Or equating baptism with making love for the first time. Or how about a gaudy, pull-out-the-stops production number of “Spooky Mormon Hell” involving Hitler, Attila the Hun, Jeffrey Dahmer and giant seductive cups of that taboo stimulant, coffee.

There are also clever musical homages to classic moments from “The Sound of Music,” “The Lion King,” “Wicked” and “Bye Bye Birdie,” as well as a direct steal from “The King and I” a la “The Small House of Uncle Thomas” as natives give their own spin to Mormon history.

The religious satire, which does mock some of the quirky elements of the LDS Church, is ultimately a broader take on all religions. The message is that faith is a good thing, but that it should be more than just promising a nebulous heavenly afterlife. Instead, it should also be about helping suffering humanity in the here and now.

Even the LDS Church seems quietly OK with the show, taking out ads in the theater program that say “You’ve seen the play, now read the book.”

The national touring production now in Wichita, which kicks off the 2015-2016 season for Theater League, is a high-energy romp populated with an eager young cast that could give the Energizer Bunny a run for his money.

Billy Harrigan Tighe and A.J. Holmes are the mismatched missionary partners at the core of this tale, and they are hilarious as well as sweetly poignant as they hope for a glamorous assignment like Norway, France or Orlando and end up in war-torn, AIDS-ridden, impoverished Uganda. They are playing sheltered 19-year-olds suddenly thrust into the big, scary world for a two-year mission to awaken souls. They end up getting as much as they try to give.

Tighe is the Dean Martin/Bud Abbott straight man, and Holmes is his Jerry Lewis/Lou Costello comic foil. Tighe is a handsome, tightly wound golden boy bursting with positivity because nothing has ever gone wrong in his privileged life. Holmes is the awkward, accepting follower who makes up things to get attention and is desperate to have a best friend for the first time in his life.

Tighe walks a fine line between self-assured and smugly arrogant, keeping his Elder Price likable (well, ultimately) even as he upstages his partner, then tries to desert him when things don’t go his way. His welcoming song, “You and Me (But Mostly Me),” says it all, and Tighe, grinning like a gerrymander-protected politician and hogging the spotlight, is deliciously over-pleased with himself.

His precise, dancerly athleticism and energy fill the stage as he leads all the mission guys through “Hello” to introduce themselves and “Two By Two” as they head out into the world.

Holmes as Elder Cunningham is easy to like because he’s a goofy klutz with a crazy laugh that erupts at inopportune times, sort of his inner clown rather than inner demon. It’s a boisterous, braying laugh that Holmes plays to great effect, particularly when his character spices up church history, melding Joseph Smith and Brigham Young with “Star Wars” and “Star Trek” characters.

As a singer, Holmes can be a sweet-voiced charmer when he reassures his partner with the lovely lullaby “I Am Here for You (Tomorrow Is a Latter Day).” But he can also growl out the macho “Man Up” number about taking lessons from Jesus accepting the cross.

Alexandra Ncube is a beautiful presence with a powerhouse voice as Nabulungi, daughter of the village chief where the two missionaries are working. She is an initially reluctant but later sympathetic Juliet figure to Elder Cunningham’s well-meaning but klutzy Romeo, and her baptism at his hands is sweetly, if almost accidentally, sensuous.

Also eye-catching in a strong ensemble cast is Daniel Plimpton as Elder McKinley, a closeted gay missionary whose song “Turn It Off (Like a Light Switch)” is a wickedly funny tribute to denial. Plimpton’s body language is flamboyant and fabulous, even dressed like all the others, and he gets to let his freak flag fly when leading the others in a tap routine.

This story was originally published November 26, 2015 at 2:39 PM with the headline "Review: ‘Book of Mormon’ likely to offend, sure to entertain."