Religion on Broadway

The Book of Mormon may be the most obvious musical on broadway regarding religion by name, but is not exactly what you would expect from such a seemingly literal title. This broadway production, winning 9 Tony Awards in 2011 including Best Musical, has shocked its audiences, to say the least.  (Farmer, J. 2011) Its emphasis on the mocking of Mormonism, rather than the two Mormon characters, has been both praised and criticized regarding content and humour. (Brooks, D. 2011) This musical truly challenges the modern day view of what religion means, both offending and verifying viewer's percepetions. 

 

At an underlying level, The Book of Mormon challenges religion. It takes the risk of offending viewers with every perfomance based on the premise of religious values. It is one of the only performances on broadway that takes a stab at what modern society views religion as, without cautiously tiptoeing around the idea. It take us places that many performances are too afraid to do. They cross off topics like Jesus Christ, AIDS, and genital mutilation from a list of taboos in society. (Jones, C. 2012) As crude as it may come off to be, the audience becomes encaptured by the two lead Mormon missionaries who are sent to Uganda to share the Book of Mormon. The challenges they face on their journey are ones they did not read about in their sacred book. They are issues that are not based around a presence of God, and nobody in the village believes a higher power is going to save them. This is unheard of in the lives of Elder Price and Elder Cunningham and it truly challenges their own beliefs while trying to convince the community to abide by those same beliefs. (Farmer, J. 2011)

 

They hint at the idea that religion should be based on the figurative lessons we can learn from the events in religious scriptures, rather than believing every literal word and meaning of the stories presented to us. As Hicks states in his article "Elder Price Superstar", Mormons live through language, whether that be the language of God himself or the language devil; whether that be the truth or a lie. He highlights the importance of saying the right thing at the right time, and how critical that is to Mormonism. (Hicks, M. 2011) If this information does anything, it really helps us to better understand the level of humour and irony within this musical. If we perceive this information to shed light on the main characters being niave, then we certainly see this throughout the play. If we perceive it to mean the heavy reliance on the book, this is also evident. It is important to understand the basic, underlying assumptions of Mormonism, whether they are stereotypes or not, in order to take the most from this musical and the better underdstand it's ties to religion. 

 

Religious stereotypes play a major role here. The way the characters dress, speak, recite the book; all make for a general stereotype on what society perceives a Mormon to be. With lead characters Elder Price and Arnold, we truly see the use of religious satire. Elder knows the book inside and out, while Arnold hardly knows or undertsands any of its content. Yet, both men claim to be equally as religious. This plays on the idea that religion can be perceived as a following, rather than an understanding.

 

"“The Book of Mormon” is not anti-religious. It just endorses a no-sharp-edges view of religion that is all creative metaphors and no harsh judgments." (Brooks, D. 2011) The New York Times

 

It is almost impossible to narrow this musical down to the parts that focus on religion, since it is engraved into every single act. It is easier with this example to focus on a character that exemplifies religion within this musical. Elder Price, the lead character, is the Mormon of all Mormons. He knows the book inside and out, and had his heart set on a mission to Orlando to share his most prized posession. When informed he will be travelling to Uganda instead, Price is upset that God did not place him where he prayed to go. He accepts his fate and travels to Uganda along with fellow missionary, Elder Cunningham (a much less knowledgable Mormon). Price faces many internal struggles when he realizes that the people of the community have no faith in a higher power whatsoever. He cannot begin to understand how they have lived their lives without "believing", and struggles to convince the people to welcome and read their book. Once presented with their struggles, such as AIDS, war, and political controversary, Price realizes the world isn't such a peaceful and forgiving place. This shines light on the stereotypes surrounding religion, especially when Price realizes not everyone follows a specific religion. (Farmer, J. 2011) 

 

Elder Cunningham may not be able to recite one sentance from the Book of Mormon, but in his eyes, Price is no more religious than he is. Cunningham thinks it is a great idea to "stretch the truths" of the scripture and tell the people of the village what they want to hear. He uses ideas from popular works like "Lord of the Rings" to get the attention of the villagers, in one last attempt to convert them to Mormonism. (Fraser, J. 2011) The resolution to the problem of falsifying the facts of the Book is a new book; The Book of Arnold, where they all worked together to create a book that they could all relate to. (Farmer, J. 2011)

 

The number "I Believe", as performed on the 65th Tony Awards by Andrew Rannells, really portrays the essence of this musical. With lyrics such as "I believe that God has a plan for all of us. I believe that plan involves me getting my own planet... I am a Mormon, and a Mormon just believes." It is a play on the idea that we believe everything we read, although it may be meant to be taken figuratively. 

 

At it's core, The Book of Mormon is a revelation. It challenges its viewers to think about the aspects of their lives they "just believe" and make their own decisions. It encourages us to form our own opinions and to follow our own paths. It is truly a masterpiece and has earned all of the awards and praise it has received. It is through works like The Book of Mormon that we start to talk and communicate about subjects that have been tabooed for so long. This is how change begins. 

 

(Price, K. 2012) Retrieved from YouTube