“The Book of Mormon” is still full of shock and awe.
But a 2021 rewrite (encouraged by the Broadway cast) has taken some of the naivete out of the show and, somehow, made it more realistic.
In the national touring version (which opened at the Orpheum Theatre Wednesday), the Ugandan girl Nabulungi isn’t longing to text; she has an iPad. And the butt of her humor is Facebook and misinformation, not technology.
That’s a worthy target, but in the original she toyed with a portable typewriter, viewing it as her texting device. Now, she’s social media savvy and not as impressionable as we once thought.
That undercuts the overriding premise of the show – Mormon missionaries go to Uganda, hoping to convert and, in the process, raise their own profile. When everyone – Mormons and Africans – were equally enlightened, the show worked a little better.
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It still moves like a house on fire, it still has raunchy, irreverent humor but there’s a loss of innocence that initially made the ending resonate.
Thankfully, Sam McLellan and Sam Nackman (as Elders Price and Cunningham) have a good grasp on the show’s outlook (it was written by “South Park’s” Trey Parker and Matt Stone and EGOT winner Robert Lopez) and aren’t afraid to goose it just a little bit more.
They’re intent on wowing the Ugandans and setting records for converting them to Mormonism. When they get to their village, they see it’s filled with problems and a “don’t show me” attitude. Their work, you might say, is cut out for them.
Price is determined to rock the situation no matter what; Cunningham just wants a friend.
They encounter gun-toting warriors, world-weary villagers and a ray of sunshine – Nabulungi (Keke Nesbitt) – who could be their Obi-Wan level of hope.
Directed and choreographed by Jennifer Werner (based on the show’s original work), this “Mormon” never sits still. Its dances are ultra-aerobic (particularly “Turn It Off,” which features a quick costuming surprise, and “Spooky Mormon Hell Dream”). But there are crass references (particularly in “Hell Dream”) that should offend those who aren’t already there.
For those unaware, the “South Park” guys do “go there” in many instances and aren’t afraid to toss a certain four-letter word into just about everything. Jesus makes a cameo appearance and he, too, isn’t what you think.
But the show does make a great point about treating others with respect and embracing faith no matter where it originates.
The laughs are plenty – particularly when you realize you’re laughing at yourself -- and the songs are extremely hummable. McLellan gets great mileage out of “I Believe” (his personal mission statement) and Nackman slays “Man Up.” Together, they’re like a 1950s comedy team, able to knock out punchlines like homerun hitters.
While Nabulungi’s charm has been undercut, Nesbitt never lets on, making her “Sal Tlay Ka Siti” still heartfelt.
Considering it’s more than a decade old, you’d think “Book of Mormon” would be a little tattered. Revisions aside, its writing is just as solid as it was when it first premiered.
“The Book of Mormon” continues through Thursday.