A few years ago, I had the incredible experience of seeing The Book of Mormon at the Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles. I was blown away by the witty, and sometimes plain offensive, humor, fantastic soundtrack, show stopping dance numbers, and just the overwhelmingly talented actors in this musical. I had never seen anything like this show before and I doubt I ever will. The musical follows two main protagonists, Elder Price and Elder Cunningham, on their journey to Africa to spread the message of their faith. They are discouraged by the villagers’ sour attitude towards God, as shown in the extremely offensive but hilarious song Hasa Diga Eebowai, and they struggle with their faith of Mormonism. Elder Price wanted to be sent to Orlando, his favorite place in the world, but is now stuck in Africa with the overly excitable Elder Cunningham.

Hilarity ensues as Elder Price goes off on his own and Elder Cunningham is left alone to inspire the villagers. Elder Cunningham has never actually read the Book of Mormon so inserts his own beliefs in his teachings which include a variety of Star Wars references. This entire musical is dripping with satire and I was constantly wiping my eyes from tears of laughter throughout the performance. The soundtrack is available on iTunes and includes the vocal talent of Josh Gad (voice of Olaf in Frozen), Andrew Rannells (now playing King George in Hamilton), Rory O’Malley (Dave in Dreamgirls), and many more extremely talented individuals! My favorite songs would have to be I Believe and Turn It Off which are linked below.

This song takes place after Elder Price struggles with keeping his hopes up about his faith. His fellow Mormons suggest simply suppressing his feelings and share their experiences with cancer, abuse, and being gay. This show is NOT for those who are easily offended. This video is not of the original Broadway cast, but this group of individuals still did an amazing job.

This song takes place right after Elder Price reaffirms his beliefs and decides to rush over to the local warlord to share his faith with him through song. Andrew Rannells does an amazing performance and really makes the character his own. This song tears apart the entire Mormon religion, but it sure is catchy.

Keep in mind, this musical was written by the same guys who created South Park, so this musical is extremely offensive at times. Even though this musical consistently pokes fun at the Mormon faith, the characters themselves are really endearing and good-natured. I gasped at a few of the jokes made, but I’m not easily offended so I was able to laugh freely. However, there are certainly some songs that get stuck in your head that you cannot be caught singing in public. Underneath all the brilliantly written comedy, the play actually addresses some serious issues and is oddly heartwarming. I thoroughly enjoyed this musical and I recommend those who are not faint of heart to see it if they ever have the chance. Thanks for reading and let me know down in the comments what your favorite song from The Book of Mormon is if you do end up checking out the album.