Review: THE BOOK OF MORMON PUTS SPIRIT BACK INTO THE SLOW SUMMER SEASON at The Aronoff

Hello! The Book of Mormon is back in town to make you laugh and make you think. The irreverent musical by the creators of South Park moves at a frantic pace, beginning by introducing the audience to a bevy of elders, or Mormon young men who go door-to-door to spread the word about their religion.

We meet Elder Price, who is the shining hope for the next generation of Mormons, and Elder Cunningham, who is a bit of a pathological liar. These two are paired together and sent to Uganda to attempt to convert a village of people whose lives are so filled with tragedy-AIDS, female circumcision/genital mutilation-that they have a special saying that translates to "F*** you, God."

Elder Price doesn't know what to do and spirals. Elder Cunningham steps up and manages to convert the whole village-but he spices up the stories with contemporary fictional references, particularly from Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, and Star Trek, and his own ideas. Suddenly, the villagers are buying what he's selling: They want to go to Salt Lake City. The show ends with a twist that seems to imply that the content of religion doesn't much matter, just as long as people can relate to it and find comfort and guidance in its practice.

It's a fun evening, and the cast is excellent. Standouts include the three leads, Kayla Pecchioni as Nabulungi, Kevin Clay as Elder Price, and Conner Peirson as Elder Cunningham. This show is well worth checking out when it next comes around to Cincinnati.

Next season: something to look forward to

The new season of Broadway Cincinnati is about to get underway this fall-and there is a lot of fun and interesting fare rolling in for fans of excellent theatre. Perennial favorites Cats, Miss Saigon, Fiddler on the Roof, and Rent are on the schedule as well as two huge recent favorites, Hamilton and Dear Evan Hansen, and the juke-box musical, On Your Feet! The Story of Emilio and Gloria Estefan.

There's also a play in the mix, The Play that Goes Wrong, a wild comedy that began its run in England and premiered on Broadway last year. And, as usual, there's something for the kids: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Be sure to check out what's coming up and get your tickets [link to: https://cincinnati.broadway.com/shows/tickets/] early!

Photos from the National Tour of THE BOOK OF MORMON by Julieta Cervantes,