The Mormons have returned to Edinburgh after a hit run in 2022. Playing the Edinburgh Playhouse until Saturday 2nd November, this hysterically funny musical follows Elder Price and Elder Cunningham as they voyage to Uganda on their mission to spread the word of the lord and teach communities of The Book of Mormon.
Adam Bailey brings a Broadway quality to this production with a heavenly portrayal of Elder Price. Price is known as one of the trickiest male vocal tracks in musical theatre with numbers such as ‘You and Me (But Mostly Me)’ and ‘I Believe’, Adam tackles these numbers with ease and impressive vocal ability. Adam’s white-collared, quirky and rather on-edge Elder Price, hits all the comedic beats and leaves the audience in hysterics. Sam Glen accompanies Bailey on stage as Elder Cunningham. Sam’s farcical portrayal of Cunningham delivers laugh after laugh; you can’t help but fall in love with this ludicrous Elder, especially with the warmth Sam brings to the character. Adam and Sam’s elders partnered together make a sublime duo, balancing each other’s foibles and creating the main comedy of this show.
Nyah Nish’s Nabulungi brings a lighthearted innocence to the otherwise dark and crude humor of this musical. Whilst yes, there are moments where this character falls into absurdity, you see a young woman longing for more. The intricacy of this performance is why the comical nuance lands so well. A highlight of Nyah’s portrayal has to be her beautiful yet hilarious performance of ‘Sal Tlay Ka Siti’. This is a fun yet grounded performance from Nyah Nish. Kirk Patterson plays Nabulungi’s father, Mafala Hatimbi, this performance is blunt, crude and stupendously hilarious. Kirk tackles the riotous ‘Hasa Diga Eebowai’, leaving the audience gasping from air. This is a brilliant supporting portrayal where Kirk’s small stage time is comic gold.
Tom Bales brings great humor as both Elder McKinley & Moroni – the highlight of these portrayals is undoubtedly Tom leading the cast as McKinley in ‘Turn It Off’, a fabulously hilarious number (like most of the satirical music in this production). Will Barratt plays Price’s Dad, Joseph Smith & Mission President, three once again comical supporting characters, that Will supplies a punch of laughter each opportunity he gets. Rodney Earl Clarke as the General & Satan, is crude and then some, with his outrageous portrayals bringing some of the most shocking moments of the musical, leaving the audience and this reviewer struggling to breathe from laughing.
The ensemble of this musical are built up of performers whose versatility shows no bounds stretching themselves to fit into the cartoonish nature of this production. The cast are as follows; Jay Anderson (Swing), Tolu Ayanbadejo, Dan Burstow, Hayden Cable, Benjamin Cameron, Will Carey, Olympia Curry, Kanoumah Diguet (Swing), Daniel George-Wright, Daniel David Griffith, Savannah Hall, Alex Hayden, Aaron Levi, Eden Lindsay (Swing), Zachary Loonie, Daniel N’Guessan-Lopez, Jessica Oppong, Bertram Okoro (Swing), Jake Reynolds, Kayode Salina, Rory Shafford (Swing), Harry Simpson, Elliot Swann (Swing) & Harry Winchester (Swing).
‘South Park’ creator Trey Parker co-directs this production with Broadway stalwart Casey Nicholaw. Parker also writes the book, music and lyrics with ‘South Park’ co-creator Matt Stone, and another Broadway hero – Robert Lopez, one of the creatives behind ‘Avenue Q’ and ‘Frozen’. These creatives bring the shock humor and satirical comedy associated with ‘South Park’ whilst the richness and creativity of the highest quality Broadway production is very much present. This absurd humor is still rarely seen in musical theatre, even thirteen years on from the premiere of ‘The Book of Mormon’. The comedy is close to the bone which some may find offensive, and yet it is delivered in such an ingenious manner, never slowing in pace or faltering in tone, even though the production is nearly reaching the fifteen-year mark, it remains timeless. Scott Pask’s scenic design, Brian MacDevitt’s lighting design and Ann Roth’s costume design play a huge part in the musical’s perennial quality, with the production bursting with colour and artistry.
‘The Book of Mormon’ remains the funniest musical of the century. This outrageous new touring production features a cast that bursts radiant energy into the show and keeps it fresh for new and revisiting audiences.
Get your tickets for ‘The Book of Mormon’ at the Edinburgh Playhouse here – https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/the-book-of-mormon/edinburgh-playhouse/
Photography – Paul Coltas
Theatre Scotland 
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