For two more days, the “Book of Mormon” tour will be performing at the Civic Theatre as an extra-season event for Broadway San Diego. This is the first time the outrageous musical has been here since 2019 – and the first time the city has seen the updated script.
In 2020, Black cast members demanded the satirical comedy, written by “South Park” creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, change the script to be less racist. The updated script seen this week still paints the Ugandan village the two white Mormon missionaries are sent to with broad strokes – every issue in Africa that made international news in the past two decades is jammed into this one impoverished village. From myths about AIDS, female genital mutilation, famine, an overabundance of evangelizing, a warlord, pests and more, this village has suffered it all. The updated script expanded the role of the African villagers in defeating the warlord, rather than being white saviored by the Mormon missionaries. In particular, the role of Nabalungi, played by Keke Nesbitt, grew into a leading role. Nesbitt belted the songs with aplomb, displaying her skillful voice in some of the show’s tenderest moments.
Despite the updates, the script is certainly not politically correct, with offensive and vulgar jokes galore – which the audience met with uproarious laughter. The songs and plot are largely the same, with minimal changes to dialogue, according to reviewers who saw the original and updated version. When satirizing the clueless missionaries and oppressive religious institutions, the show was at its sharpest. The jokes by and about Ugandan villagers who lacked agency or hope were harder to stomach. The most uncomfortable and repetitive jokes of the show were all assigned to the Black actors. Strangely, the script changes did not include updating timely references. Hitler and Jeffrey Dahmer might be timeless villains, but Nelson Mandela and Johnnie Cochran have not been in the news, much less alive, for the past decade.
The cast zealously took on the over-the-top roles and danced their hearts out. One supporting cast member stood out especially. Sean Casey Flanagan was a delight to watch on stage, whether as gay missionary in denial Elder McKinley or the angel Moroni. I hope we see him again in an even larger role that showcases his comedy chops alongside his skills as a dancer.
While Elder Cunningham (Sam Nackman) and Elder Price (Sam McLellan) mostly wore the iconic black pants with white short-sleeved shirt and black tie, the variations on that outfit were ingenious. Costume designer Ann Roth added a rock-n-roll version as well as an all-white version. The villagers’ eclectic outfits were also humorous, if not specific to Uganda. Josh Marquette’s hair design managed to roast Mormon fashion sensibilities with every misplaced part.
There are five more chances to see “Book of Mormon” in San Diego, including at lottery prices of $25. Visit https://www.broadwaysd.com/upcoming-events/the-book-of-mormon/ para más información.
