MUSICAL THEATRE
Book, Music & Lyrics by Trey Parker, Robert Lopez & Matt Stone
At Princess Theatre until 31 May 2026
Reviewer: Kate Herbert
Stars: ***** (5)
This review is published only on this blog. I’ll present a radio review on Arts Weekly on 3MBS on Sat 21 Feb 2026. KH
 |
| Nick Cox, Sean Johnston, The-Book-of-Mormon_credit_Daniel-Boud |
The Book of Mormon is a wickedly hilarious, irreverent, scandalous and shocking musical that is South Park on steroids. This is a gleeful assault on organised religion – more specifically, Mormonism and its peculiar history, religious text, missionary practices, cultural colonisation and – well – everything, really.
On the stage, the chorus of white-shirted Mormons is relentlessly grinning, terminally perky and super-camp! From the first brazen door knock in the song, Hello!, The Book of Mormon announces its missionary zeal — and this razor-sharp Australian cast answers with blistering comic precision and vocal confidence.
Created by Trey Parker, Matt Stone and Robert Lopez, this award-winning juggernaut remains as outrageously transgressive as ever and this Australian production is polished to a high sheen. The ensemble is a single, sharply pressed organism; every raised eyebrow, every snappy turn and door-slam is performed with military / missionary precision.
The pairing of the stitched up Elder Price (Sean Johnston) and goofy, incompetent Elder Cunningham (Nick Cox) provides stark comic contrast. Johnston’s clarion tenor soars with self-regarding confidence in I Believe, and he balances arrogance with boyish conviction. Cox, by contrast, makes Cunningham’s shambling doctrinal improvisations feel dangerously spontaneous. Cox’s elastic physicality and beautifully judged hesitation turn absurdity into an art form. Their chemistry drives the evening with polished certainty colliding with chaotic invention.
Paris Leveque brings luminous warmth, disarming sincerity and unaffected grace as Nabulungi. As Mafala Hatimbi, Simbarashe Matshe balances dignified authority with dry humour, anchoring the African village scenes with welcome gravity. As Elder McKinley, Tom Struik delivers Turn It Off with bright-eyed repression and tap-dancing precision, and his crisp movement and honeyed tone transform denial into high camp bliss. The audacious ensemble number, Sal Tlay Ka Siti, sung by the African villagers, wickedly and hilariously challenges God’s mercilessness.
Casey Nicholaw’s choreography is deliciously ironic Broadway razzmatazz knowingly deployed for subversive ends and the co-directors, Parker and Nicholaw, put the foot firmly on the accelerator in the production. The pastel optimism of the design combined with those wide smiles and wholesome Americana, makes the show’s detonations of profanity and pageantry even more naughtily delectable.
More than a decade on, the satire still bites. Yet beneath the profanity and pyrotechnics is incisive socio-political commentary and a generous heart. Melbourne roared its approval. This five-star return season proves that outrageous comedy, when executed with this level of craft, still feels thrillingly alive.
By Kate Herbert
 |
| Cast, The-Book-of-Mormon_credit_Daniel-Boud |
Sean Johnston -Elder Price
Nick Cox - Elder Cunningham
Paris Leveque -Nabulungi
Tom Struik - Elder McKinley
Simbarashe Matshe -Mafala Hatimbi
Augie Tchantcho - The General
Matthew Hamilton- Mission President
Creative Team
Book, Music & Lyrics -Trey Parker, Robert Lopez & Matt Stone
Co-director - Trey Parker
Co-director and choreographer - Casey Nicholaw
Set design -Scott Pask,
Costume design -Ann Roth
Lighting design - Brian MacDevitt
Sound design - Brian Ronan.
Orchestrations -Larry Hochman & Stephen Oremus.
Music direction and vocal arrangements - Stephen Oremus
 |
| Cast, The-Book-of-Mormon_credit_Daniel-Boud |
Act I
- Hello! Elder Price, Elder Cunningham, Company
- Two by Two Elder Price, Elder Cunningham, Mission President, Company
- You and Me (But Mostly Me) Elder Price, Elder Cunningham
- Hasa Diga Eebowai Mafala Hatimbi, Nabulungi, Ugandan Villagers
- Turn It Off Elder McKinley, Elder Price, Elders
- I Am Here for You Elder Price, Elder Cunningham
- All-American Prophet Elder Price, Joseph Smith, Angel Moroni, Company
- Sal Tlay Ka Siti Nabulungi
- Man Up Elder Price, Elder Cunningham, Nabulungi, Company
Act II
- Making Things Up Again Elder Cunningham
- Spooky Mormon Hell Dream Elder Price, Lucifer, Hitler, Jeffrey Dahmer, Johnnie Cochran, Genghis Khan, Company
- I Believe Elder Price
- Baptize Me Nabulungi, Elder Cunningham
- I Am Africa Elder McKinley, Mission President, Elders
- Joseph Smith American Moses Elder Cunningham, Nabulungi, Company
Tomorrow Is a Latter Day Elder Price, Elder Cunningham, Nabulungi, Company
No comments:
Post a Comment