‘Book of Mormon’ still brings the laughs

It has been about 18 months since the Best of Broadway series first brought the Tony-winning smash “The Book of Mormon” to Spokane.

Very little has changed since that first run. The musical – from Trey Parker and Matt Stone, creators of “South Park,” and Robert Lopez, who co-wrote the music for “Frozen” – is still a highly entertaining and irreverent story of two Mormon missionaries given the difficult task of finding converts in a small Ugandan village.

And I’m going to be real clear here. Last time I reviewed the show, and mentioned a “blitzkrieg of f-bombs, plenty of sex and shocking subject matter,” and how the show is sacrilegious and profoundly profane, it seems a few folks either didn’t believe me or didn’t think I warned them sufficiently.

So, I’ll put it this way: If you’re easily offended, this is not the show for you. If the idea of someone cursing God sets you on edge, this is not the show for you. If you don’t want to see religious leaders portrayed in anything other than reverent light, this is not the show for you.

If that stuff doesn’t bother you, if you like “edgy,” and if you can see “The Book of Mormon” for what it is – wicked satire set to great tunes – then you’re in for a treat.

The major difference between the production now running at the INB Performing Arts Center and the one here in 2014 is the casting of Elder Cunningham, the doofus to Elder Price’s picture of Mormon perfection.

Cody Jamison Strand played Arnold Cunningham in the 2014 production and clearly was cast in the mold of Josh Gad, the Tony-nominated actor who originated the role on Broadway. Strand’s Arnold was a pudgy nebbish. This time, A.J. Holmes steps into Cunningham’s too-short black slacks, to hilarious effect. His Arnold is trimmer, certainly, but still a complete weirdo. He’s a little unhinged, too, and it just works.

He’s paired with Billy Harrigan Tighe as Elder Price, an ambitious young man who all his life has done what he’s told, believing God and the universe would reward him for his diligence. But instead of going on his mission to his dream place, Orlando, Florida, he’s sent to an impoverished, AIDS-stricken village in Uganda with a mission companion (Cunningham) who doesn’t seem to be up to the task.

The lead actors have worked together before, having played these roles in London before joining the U.S. tour. They have an easy chemistry that’s fun to watch. Both are terrific singers, and they’re joined by the lovely Alexandra Ncube as Nabulungi, the sweet girl whose dreams of life beyond her village bring her to Elder Cunningham.

Cunningham has never actually read the Book of Mormon, so his gospel lessons tend to be influenced more by “Star Trek,” “Star Wars” and “The Lord of the Rings.” It results in the hysterical (and oh so inappropriate) number “Joseph Smith American Prophet,” during which the villagers retell the (incorrect) stories they’ve learned.

The mission’s district president is there for their performance. He is not amused. The audience around me on Thursday certainly was.

It’s worth noting the music in “The Book of Mormon” is really catchy. For nearly two years, the tap number “Turn It Off” would pop into my head. “Hello,” the show’s opener, is funny and endearing. Price’s number “I Believe” is another high point, as is the comical “Spooky Mormon Hell Dream.”

For all the crudeness and controversy, “The Book of Mormon” really is a sweet tale of misfits finding who they really are, and finding a community that embraces them regardless.

And what’s wrong with that?