The Book of Mormon at the Eccles

Watching The Book of Mormon in Sal Tlay Ka Siti is so much fun because audiences here get all of the jokes!  I saw the Broadway touring production again last night at the Eccles Theatre and I don't think I stopped laughing the whole time!  After spending some time at the Missionary Training Center learning how to preach the gospel around the world ("Hello"), Elder Price (Sam McLellan) and Elder Cunningham (Diego Enrico) are called to serve in a remote village in Uganda.  Elder Price is very disappointed in the location because he had hoped to go to Orlando, the most wonderful and magical place on Earth.  He is also disappointed in his companion because Elder Cunningham has a tendency to lie to compensate for his low self-esteem.  However, he soon realizes that he will be a great missionary no matter the circumstances ("You and Me But Mostly Me").  When they meet their fellow missionaries in Africa, they get some advice about dealing with any unusual feelings they might be having ("Turn it Off") and they soon realize that Africa is nothing like The Lion King because the villagers are more concerned with poverty, famine, AIDS, and a violent warlord than with their message ("An American Prophet").  Elder Price gets discouraged and decides to go home but, when the chief's daughter Nabulungi (Keke Nesbitt) shows some interest because she wants to leave Africa and go to paradise ("Sal Tlay Ka Siti"), Elder Cunningham must teach her on his own ("Man Up").  He has never actually read The Book of Mormon because it is boring so he begins embellishing it with references to The Matrix, Star Wars, Star Trek, and The Lord of the Rings ("Making Things Up Again") and eventually baptizes Nabulungi ("Baptize Me") and then the rest of the village.  Meanwhile, Elder Price decides to return after having a dream about being in Hell with Jeffrey Dahmer, Genghis Khan, Hitler, and people who drink Starbucks coffee ("Spooky Mormon Hell Dream").  Even though they get in trouble for their false teachings, they see that they have made the lives of the villagers better so they decide to stay and even send missionaries out to teach The Book of Arnold ("Hello Reprise").  In my opinion, this is an absolutely hilarious satire that exaggerates what is already humorous about the religion but people could definitely find it offensive because it is outrageous and often very inappropriate (there is a lot of profanity).  However, my audience seemed to feel as I do because it was one of the most enthusiastic I've seen and the laughter was sometimes louder than the actors, especially during "Sal Tlay Ka Siti."  In addition to the humor, the sets and costumes are visually stunning, the musical numbers are very catchy, and the choreography is incredible, especially in "Turn it Off" (I always enjoy tap dancing) and "I Am Africa."  The performances of the three leads are fantastic but Craig Franke steals the show as Elder McKinley, a missionary trying to pretend that he is not gay.  I had a blast watching this but I suggest doing a little research before buying tickets (which may be purchased here) to make sure it is something you would enjoy.  It runs at the Eccles Theatre through January 26.