Book Of Mormon – Prince Of Wales Theatre 17.05.2014

It took me over one year to finally see this show (mostly due to absolutely ridiculous & horrendous ticket prices!), but it’s safe to say I was beyond excited when I got into my seat; the view was absolutely perfect and totally worth its price. Plus, I had nice company right next to me (a 45ish pilot to my left who tried to hook me up with the guy next to my right and was just hilarious). The theatre itself was not as big as other ones, but it was wide and the stage was lovely set, with love for details, that was easy to see.

When the show started, it soon became pretty clear that it is not to be taken too seriously. It’s weird, though, but although I loved it so much, I can barely remember every joke or pun or funny scene, even if someone would point a gun at my head – there were just too many. The story itself is also better not taken seriously, and the entire Cast and Creators definitely don’t take themselves seriously at all. Everyone’s taking the piss out of the whole baptizing thing, making fun of the church and its strict rules and commitments; for someone like me, who has never been religious and neither really believes in a higher power, this is just the perfect show. And the fact that you can’t actually describe it to anybody who has never seen it because it’s just something really different and has to speak for itself…for me, that makes it even more amazing.

What can I say about the Cast? Right at the beginning, it was announced that Elder Cunningham would be played by David O’Reilly, who is actually the understudy for that role. Safe to say that from the moment he came on stage – I absolutely loved him. I don’t know how Jared Gertner plays the role, but to me, David was perfect. His weird laugh was one of my highlights, and he’s definitely one of the funniest guys I have ever seen on a stage. Plus, seeing him, walking, running and dancing over the stage with his “Star Wars” backpack and his need to have a best friend in Elder Price, made me go all “Aww” for him, because something inside of him reminded me of something inside of me. And his voice is definitely very remarkable, too, something you probably wouldn’t expect from a short, chubby guy – but he was absolutely adorable. He kind of stole the show for me, especially whenever he wasn’t able to call Nabulungi, one of the ugandan girls, by her real name, or during the part of the show where he “baptizes” her, which definitely has the most hilarious ambiguity I have ever witnessed!

Gavin Creel as Elder Price – WOW. The moment he first started singing was magical. Even when he was just talking, he was completely drawing me in, and I get why he was cast for that role – he’s born for it. He sells the role of the missionary Mormon so well, the dilemma of his beliefs and where he really wants to be in his life (Florida!), that it’s really difficult to not fall for him, to empathize with him. Even him being a narcissistic young man who thinks he’s the best and deserves the best and that he will be the one who changes the world – you can’t help but love that about him. What’s with his voice, it’s absolutely stunning. There wasn’t any note that wasn’t perfect and everything about his performance was flawless. His version of “I Believe”, his solo – it had already been my favourite before I had even seen the show, and I loved it even more when I finally saw it on that stage. Plus, his hair in the 2nd part of the show – jesus (see what I did there)! Talking about sexy bed hair without being in bed, he can definitely wear it! stage.

Alexia Khadime as Nabulungi, oh my. She has the voice of an angel, it was absolutely breathtaking listening to her hitting the high notes like her life depends on it; you would never guess how much power there is inside this little cute girl. Plus, the way she played her role was adorable. I can’t believe I have never seen her on a stage before, because she has some huge talent right there. Just wow.

Kevin Harvey, Ashley Samuels & Chris Jarman as Mafala Hatimbi, Doctor & General – holy mother of…! These three are the most hilarious people that have ever set foot on a stage! I can’t remember any moment where they didn’t make me almost falling out of my seat from all the laughing. Especially Ashley was mindblowing, casually throwing in “I’ve got maggots in my scrotum” every now and then, when you least expect it. Chris as the General reminded me of some american actor, although I couldn’t put my finger on it, and just as Ashley, he got me in stitches, especially when he revealed his name or during the last musical number.

The rest of the Cast were just as flawless as the forementioned people. They are working together like they haven’t done anything else in their entire life, you can feel the connection between them, and they are all so amazingly talented, even if it’s just pulling weird faces – not a moment where I didn’t enjoy watching them doing their thing. The two musical numbers they sing together (the ugandan tribe), “Hasa Diga Eebowai” and “Joseph Smith American Moses” – safe to say they were two of my highlights, because I think I haven’t laughed so much for a long time.

My resumé of the show: WOW. Although I expected to laugh a bit more than I actually did, it does not diminish the love I already feel for this show, neither does it make me regret paying a hell of a lot for my ticket – because I don’t. I now understand why the ticket prices are so high, why the show and Cast get so many good critics and publicity, why people love everything about it so much. It’s definitely one of the best shows I have ever seen, and it’s worth every penny. The songs are perfectly written, fit into every single scene and are nothing else but absolute catchy tunes – I think flawless describes it pretty well. The directors of this show have definitely done everything right with creating it and bringing it into the West End – and I sincerely hope it will continue its successful run at the Prince Of Wales Theatre for a very very long time!