28 Mar 2011 04:35:02
"The Book of Mormon," which opened Thursday at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre, is inventive and slick and subversive. It is funnier and smarter than "Monty Python's Spamalot," managing to offend, provoke laughter, trigger eye-rolling, satirize conventions and warm hearts, all at the same time.
You might expect Parker and Stone, who forever changed cartoons with their foul-mouthed elementary students, and Lopez, who made it safe for puppets to swear on stage, to utterly disrespect traditional musical conventions — "Oh my God, they killed Broadway. You bastards!" — but you'd be wrong.
What they've done is faithfully maintain the structure and rhythm of a classic musical — think Rodgers and Hammerstein's "The King and I" — even while filling it with utter zaniness. There's dancing, romance and hopefulness, but also diarrhea and jokes about "The Lion King." And many of the songs will stick in your head with frightening ease, from the ensemble "Turn If Off" to the sexy duet "Baptize Me" to the gorgeous solo "I Believe."
The three writers have found a kindred spirit in Casey Nicholaw ("Monty Python's Spamalot" and "The Drowsy Chaperone"), who this time choreographs and co-directs with Parker. The combination translates into a tight, visually popping show with plenty of dance sequences featuring white guys raising the roof.
