In Anticipation of…The Book of Mormon

Natasha explains why you should all go to see the show as it returns to Glasgow in November.

Nine-times Tony Award Winner and four-times Olivier Award Winner for Best Musical The Book of Mormon is returning to Glasgow, for the second time on its UK tour. Full of moments of slapstick and witty comedy, The Book of Mormon is the perfect musical if you’re looking for an evening of hilarious entertainment. I managed to see the UK tour perform at Nottingham Theatre Royal back in September and it was definitely an evening well spent. Here are just a few reasons why you should book your tickets to see The Book of Mormon this November. 

Since it was first staged in early 2011, The Book of Mormon has been on Broadway and West End. It is a satirical musical examining the beliefs and practices of the Church of the Latter-day Saints, with the original Book of Mormon being published in 1830 by Joseph Smith. The teachings of Joseph Smith – or the All American Prophet in this show – are the basis of the musical’s satire. The Book of Mormon is for a very secular target audience, and although I love this musical and its score deeply, I would not recommend it to those who may be very strict with their spiritual beliefs or religious practices, as there are moments in the show that may be offensive to some. However, since I first saw some of my friends perform the opening number, Hello, back in my days of Sunday drama school, I have been hooked ever since. I can’t believe it took me until 2022 to actually get to see the show! 

The Book of Mormon UK tour has a fantastic chorus, with excellent vocalists and tap dancers. The set, although less grandeur than some other touring West End productions, does not draw attention away from the skills of the cast and the punny moments and overall comedy of the show. The costuming was perfect and flamboyant in places which added to the overall humour of a musical number or scene. There were also a number of quick changes during the show and were pulled off excellently. The cast really made the show utterly hilarious and there were so many times when I was hugging my stomach with laughter. Although I’d listened to the musical score a number of times, and had even performed Turn It Off with my musical theatre group at school, the entire production had me in tears of laughter and was everything I expected and more. 

To top it off, as I left the Theatre Royal in Nottingham, there were real Mormons standing outside the theatre, trying to recruit audience members to the Church of the Latter-day Saints. The only disappointing thing was that these real Mormons did not greet me with the same enthusiasm and preppy tone of the actors in the opening number, Hello. I do wonder, though, if those people actually knew what The Book of Mormon is really about … If you’re still unsure whether this musical is for you, I urge you to listen to the official Broadway cast recording which can be found on both Apple Music and Spotify. Glasgow loves its comedy, so if you’re looking for an evening of laughter and amusement, get your tickets to see The Book of Mormon at the Glasgow Theatre Royal for November 2022!