Photo Credit: Sam-McLellan-and-company-in-THE-BOOK-OF-MORMON-North-American-tour_Photo-by-Julieta-Cervantes-.jpg.jpg
(Walt Disney Theatre at Dr. Phillips, Orlando FL) Last night, the 9-time Tony Award winning 'The Book of Mormon' held its opening night at Dr. Phillips, evoking laughter and smiles to a very engaged audience within the Walt Disney Theatre.
The cast was cohesive and consistent in conveying 3 hours of positivity and upbeat attitudes. Sam McLellan (Elder Price) led us through an array of emotions. Initially, his character had his heart set on taking on his first religious mission to the wonderful planet of Orlando FL, but disappointingly he found himself being assigned to the less desirable locale of Uganda with a obligatory companion he just didn't really have a connection with. McLellan drew the audience in, and brought out the largest of applause I had ever heard within the walls of Dr. Phillips by his mentions of 'Orlando' throughout the musical. He was likeable, relatable, and ultimately forgivable, and he had a very fun chemistry with his fellow stage partner Diego Enrico (Elder Cunningham).
Diego Enrico (Elder Cunningham) portrayed just the right delicate balance of being the slight social outcast of the group, whilst being quite hilarious and having the Dr. Phillips audience be empathetic with him. Over the course of the show, his character evolved from the slightly annoying friend / co-worker one might have encountered at work, to morphing into the hero of the show. Diego had a wonderful dynamic about his voice. He had a very tender singing voice for most of the night, but drew out bursts of laughter when he 'manned up' during the performance to more of that deeper chest-voice action. His comedic timing was excellent, and his strong performance gave everyone in the audience the feeling that we perhaps may have dismissed his gift of being able to religiously convert the people of Uganda a little too soon in the night.
McLellan and Enrico were a wonderful duo on stage. At times I could see myself as that one dorky friend who said all the wrongs at all the wrong times. But then there were times throughout the night that I totally identified with wanting to be the ambitious new person at work, wanting to make a great impression and having everything focus on 'me.' I felt this way last night, because McLellan and Enrico were that well-rehearsed and immersed into their roles that I didn't even feel like I was watching a show last night -- it felt like I was watching a mirror and seeing my feelings unraveled on that stage.
Keke Nesbitt played the curious and lovable 'Nabulungi'. Throughout the night, she maintained this eager passion that you would just engulf you with her eyes. Her character's faith and ability to believe in whatever she was told, was endearing and sweet. For most of the night, she was happy and the audience followed her journey as a faithful daughter, someone with a new first-love interest, then momentarily having her heart broken. It was actually during her solo in the 2nd Act that I had my first actual sad moment of the night. A phrase that had been comedically thrown around earlier in Act 1 -- the very explicit phrase will have the devout religious folks in the audience potentially squeamish, potentially outright offended -- had now taken on a much deeper and darker and painful tone. Nesbitt's acting made her character very enjoyable, and her singing solo drove a knife right through my heart as I sensed every ounce of pain her character had taken on, and it was heavy.
I also enjoyed Lamont J. Whitaker's performance of 'Mafala Hatimbi'. This character served as the protective father of the evening. His character was funny and kind. Whitaker was full of energy and enthusiasm. He was such a presence to watch on the stage, with his towering figure and infectious smile. He was the 'dad' you hoped your friends would have because he was cool, pleasant, and a joy to be around. He was present last night, without being overbearing. He was there, but not in-your-face. I loved watching him during the dance scenes with the group dances, and his expressive face could have literally dictated the emotion of the entire theatre. If he smiled, we smiled, but if he was off, we all would have felt it, but he was most excellent last night!
The other actor I wanted to call out was Dewight Braxton Jr., who played the bad-guy warlord 'General'. Braxton was intimidating and scary (exactly what his character needed to be). Whenever he was onstage, you definitely felt his bullying presence. I was nervous because of his performance, as he fully convinced the audience that he was mentally unstable... at times, his character would put up with the awkwardness of one of the main lead characters, while at others, he would kill them if his authority was being challenged. Braxton scared you for most of the night, but there was a moment somewhere in that show where I was ready to jump up and hug him.
There were many more show references to pop culture than I thought there would be. Somehow, the show was able to seamlessly incorporate references to 'The Lion King', 'Return of the Jedi', 'The Matrix', and Hobbits into the storyline without detracting from it. In fact, these extra references ultimately contribute to the final culminative moments of the show. There is some absurdity to what the lead Mormon character teaches the Ugandan village people, but the metaphors are ultra-symbolic and directly translatable to comparable Biblical and religious beliefs. I do believe that some hardcore religious folks might have challenges taking in some portions of the show, but if they can endure it, hopefully they can appreciate some of the deeper undertones hidden within the show's storyline. There is very strong language used in this show, and equally strong body language with reference to very specific parts of the human anatomy; the irony is that the show speaks to religious conversion, and typically the person(s) being converted is converting 'from' something / somewhere to another place, correct?
I will try to say here, without spoiling anything for our viewers, that I found myself physically smiling for maybe 95% of this show, which I've never done before for any other musical. I don't believe there's any intent here to offend any specific groups or religions. With that in mind, there is strong entertainment value here, while there is some thought-provoking situations that should spark some deeper conversation after leaving the show. I, for one, walked away with a rekindled reflection upon my own personal religious beliefs, further strengthened and appreciative of those beliefs.
Wonderful show, fully supported by an excellent cast full of acting capabilities and singing talent!
Bailey Guinigundo
The cast was cohesive and consistent in conveying 3 hours of positivity and upbeat attitudes. Sam McLellan (Elder Price) led us through an array of emotions. Initially, his character had his heart set on taking on his first religious mission to the wonderful planet of Orlando FL, but disappointingly he found himself being assigned to the less desirable locale of Uganda with a obligatory companion he just didn't really have a connection with. McLellan drew the audience in, and brought out the largest of applause I had ever heard within the walls of Dr. Phillips by his mentions of 'Orlando' throughout the musical. He was likeable, relatable, and ultimately forgivable, and he had a very fun chemistry with his fellow stage partner Diego Enrico (Elder Cunningham).
Diego Enrico (Elder Cunningham) portrayed just the right delicate balance of being the slight social outcast of the group, whilst being quite hilarious and having the Dr. Phillips audience be empathetic with him. Over the course of the show, his character evolved from the slightly annoying friend / co-worker one might have encountered at work, to morphing into the hero of the show. Diego had a wonderful dynamic about his voice. He had a very tender singing voice for most of the night, but drew out bursts of laughter when he 'manned up' during the performance to more of that deeper chest-voice action. His comedic timing was excellent, and his strong performance gave everyone in the audience the feeling that we perhaps may have dismissed his gift of being able to religiously convert the people of Uganda a little too soon in the night.
McLellan and Enrico were a wonderful duo on stage. At times I could see myself as that one dorky friend who said all the wrongs at all the wrong times. But then there were times throughout the night that I totally identified with wanting to be the ambitious new person at work, wanting to make a great impression and having everything focus on 'me.' I felt this way last night, because McLellan and Enrico were that well-rehearsed and immersed into their roles that I didn't even feel like I was watching a show last night -- it felt like I was watching a mirror and seeing my feelings unraveled on that stage.
Keke Nesbitt played the curious and lovable 'Nabulungi'. Throughout the night, she maintained this eager passion that you would just engulf you with her eyes. Her character's faith and ability to believe in whatever she was told, was endearing and sweet. For most of the night, she was happy and the audience followed her journey as a faithful daughter, someone with a new first-love interest, then momentarily having her heart broken. It was actually during her solo in the 2nd Act that I had my first actual sad moment of the night. A phrase that had been comedically thrown around earlier in Act 1 -- the very explicit phrase will have the devout religious folks in the audience potentially squeamish, potentially outright offended -- had now taken on a much deeper and darker and painful tone. Nesbitt's acting made her character very enjoyable, and her singing solo drove a knife right through my heart as I sensed every ounce of pain her character had taken on, and it was heavy.
I also enjoyed Lamont J. Whitaker's performance of 'Mafala Hatimbi'. This character served as the protective father of the evening. His character was funny and kind. Whitaker was full of energy and enthusiasm. He was such a presence to watch on the stage, with his towering figure and infectious smile. He was the 'dad' you hoped your friends would have because he was cool, pleasant, and a joy to be around. He was present last night, without being overbearing. He was there, but not in-your-face. I loved watching him during the dance scenes with the group dances, and his expressive face could have literally dictated the emotion of the entire theatre. If he smiled, we smiled, but if he was off, we all would have felt it, but he was most excellent last night!
The other actor I wanted to call out was Dewight Braxton Jr., who played the bad-guy warlord 'General'. Braxton was intimidating and scary (exactly what his character needed to be). Whenever he was onstage, you definitely felt his bullying presence. I was nervous because of his performance, as he fully convinced the audience that he was mentally unstable... at times, his character would put up with the awkwardness of one of the main lead characters, while at others, he would kill them if his authority was being challenged. Braxton scared you for most of the night, but there was a moment somewhere in that show where I was ready to jump up and hug him.
There were many more show references to pop culture than I thought there would be. Somehow, the show was able to seamlessly incorporate references to 'The Lion King', 'Return of the Jedi', 'The Matrix', and Hobbits into the storyline without detracting from it. In fact, these extra references ultimately contribute to the final culminative moments of the show. There is some absurdity to what the lead Mormon character teaches the Ugandan village people, but the metaphors are ultra-symbolic and directly translatable to comparable Biblical and religious beliefs. I do believe that some hardcore religious folks might have challenges taking in some portions of the show, but if they can endure it, hopefully they can appreciate some of the deeper undertones hidden within the show's storyline. There is very strong language used in this show, and equally strong body language with reference to very specific parts of the human anatomy; the irony is that the show speaks to religious conversion, and typically the person(s) being converted is converting 'from' something / somewhere to another place, correct?
I will try to say here, without spoiling anything for our viewers, that I found myself physically smiling for maybe 95% of this show, which I've never done before for any other musical. I don't believe there's any intent here to offend any specific groups or religions. With that in mind, there is strong entertainment value here, while there is some thought-provoking situations that should spark some deeper conversation after leaving the show. I, for one, walked away with a rekindled reflection upon my own personal religious beliefs, further strengthened and appreciative of those beliefs.
Wonderful show, fully supported by an excellent cast full of acting capabilities and singing talent!
Bailey Guinigundo