Review: THE BOOK OF MORMON at Crown Theatre

Theatre goers headed to Crown for the opening of THE BOOK OF MORMON may have noticed a single beam of sunlight breaking through the clouds and shining directly onto the theatre. Indeed, as the curtain rose and another single beam of light shone on a trumpeting angel, there was a feeling that something special was about to happen. There may be some familiarity about THE BOOK OF MORMON, with an extended Perth run in 2019 and a recent east coast revival tempting many to book a trip, however you’d hardly know it hearing the roars of laughter erupt from the audience starting early and happening often. If you’ve seen the show before, it offers plenty of new jokes and ideas, and if you haven’t seen it before, what are you waiting for? 

Sean Johnston stars as Elder Price, the idealistic and studious Elder who finds out the hard way that life isn’t always what you expect and is rarely what you think you deserve. The narrative of the show brings a steady decline in Elder Price’s outlook, and Johnston shows this perfectly, becoming a little less polished and a little more cynical in each successive scene. All the while, his vocals are simply excellent and he shines in a central role. As Elder Cunningham is Nick Cox, a dual American/Australian citizen. Elder Cunningham is the less serious, more silly part, and Cox is outstanding in the comedic aspects of it. However, this does not take anything away from his vocals, which elevate his solo songs whilst ensuring the jokes keep hitting.

The two lead roles in this musical were originated by Andrew Rannells and Josh Gad, and it would be easy to fall into imitating the two when doing this show. It’s a tried and tested formula and still gets laughs. However, neither Johnston nor Cox (and indeed the whole company) seem to want to redo what’s been done before, and instead approach these roles with fresh and different ideas and themes. These parts are entirely their own and their reimaginings are simply outstanding.

WAAPA trained Paris Leveque is an excellent Nabalungi, a somewhat understated character who ends up driving the plot, and Leveque hits some simply stunning notes in numbers such as Sal Tlay Ka Siti, and with comic timing that fits right into this show. Sekou Salah Nance as Mafala and Augie Tchantcho as The General are not only hilarious character actors, but they make subtle changes as the show requires, each giving a masterclass of stage presence that would be something to behold even if it wasn't in an excellent show. 

The ensemble is ridiculously talented and each perform varied roles with lots of stage time and quick costume changes. I would not generally want to pick individuals out, but it’s good to see John Rex Berry in such a big production. Another WAAPA trained star is Luke Haberecht, who is simply hilarious as Elder McKinley. However, if you follow any of the outstanding ensemble through their varied parts and the changes they undergo, you’ll find talent wherever you look, and it is a credit to the cast to take on such a physically demanding show and carry it to the end. Whilst THE BOOK OF MORMON may not be known for its dance numbers, there are still some truly outstanding numbers and each movement is slick and well drilled.

There is so much to love about THE BOOK OF MORMON, and whilst it does live very close to the heart of many musical theatre fans (whilst also winning over many musical theatre skeptics wherever it goes), this is a fresh take rather than a rehash. Jokes, themes and ideas have been added or have evolved and changed from previous versions. If you’ve seen it before, this production of BOOK OF MORMON will let you be converted all over again, and if you’ve not seen it before, you’re in for something truly amazing. There’s a reason this show is still going strong. Go find out.