Asteria Theatre transported audiences to the magical land of Salt Lake City with its Broadway production of “The Book Of Mormon,” co-written by “South Park” creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. This irreverent satire of Mormonism sold out on March 10 and 11.
A stained glass arch, golden statue of Jesus Christ and choral flourish accompanied the show’s opening vignette of Mormonism’s creation story.
Golden light flooded the statue as the vignette gave way to smiling men in white shirts popping onstage one-by-one. Elder Price, a new Mormon missionary, rang a non-existent doorbell, followed by Elder Grant and many others in a pastiche of door-to-door salesmen. They pitched unsuspecting homeowners “The Book of Mormon.”
Each missionary chirped out a friendly “Hello” in the show’s opening number of the same name. Elder Cunningham, played by Jacob Aune, naively belted out that Jesus Christ wrote “The Book of Mormon” and monetarily derailed the ensemble.
“My favorite part of working the show is being able to sneak a peek at the performance from one of the wings, or watching the conductor call cues on the playback screen,” stagehand at the Asteria Theatre and music business vocalist major Taegan Metz said. “Honestly, it’s just being able to soak up the energy and atmosphere of their amazing crew.”
The Narrator, or Heavenly Father, soon assigned the elders to different locations for missionary work. Price simultaneously delivered a ballad about his favorite place in the whole world and desired mission location: Orlando, Florida.
Upon discovering that Heavenly Father sentenced him to Uganda and paired him to work with Cunningham, Price’s face warped in disgust. Cunningham excitedly proclaimed Uganda was “like Lion King,” to the audience’s amusement.
“Everyone involved with these performances is dedicated and loves what they do,” audio hand for the Asteria Theatre and music major Keegan Hannifin said. “My favorite part was being able to meet and chat with the touring production crew and getting to learn more about touring life.”
The set shifted entirely as the pair set off and a colorful clothing line cut through the center of the stage. Metal houses and a group of Ugandan villagers populated the scene, with a member of the ensemble dragging an animal carcass against the ground.
The load-ins for these stage and prop changes occasionally caused back-of-house injuries, which received immediate medical attention.
“One girl, her toe got rolled over by a box and another girl got her fingers smashed underneath a panel that was a little heavy,” stagehand at the Asteria Theatre and senior mass communications major Megan Pierce said.
The elders soon lost their luggage to men from local warlord General Butt Fucking Naked’s army. More soldiers later threatened Cunningham, Price and the local population with firearms.
“The Ugandan soldiers walk off stage at some point and they hand me their rifles and stuff. There was this one actor who always said ‘Thank You,’ so nicely. I think that was my favorite, because they would be in character and then so respectful,” Pierce said.
Community leader Mafala Hatimbi, played by Jarius Miquel Cliett, welcomed the elders to Uganda and shared the phrase “Hasa Diga Eebowai” with them. The pair adopted the phrase before recoiling at its blasphemous English translation of “Fuck you, God.” Hatimbi’s daughter, Nabulungi, played by Charity Arianna, guided them away to their living quarters.
The pair met other missionaries in the area, who taught Price and Cunningham how to “turn off” their emotions. Elder McKinley, played by Jonathan Grunert, humorously alluded to his repressed queerness with a story about the first time he fell in love.
Price and the other elders rushed the stage during “Turn It Off” in a dazzling clothing change from white shirts to pink sequin suit jackets. The number, alongside “Spooky Mormon Hell Dream,” received several whistles from the audience.
The choreography erupted, the stage blushed red and an ensemble of devils with pitchforks poked at Price, subject of the Hell dream. Price encountered various figures during his nightmare, including Adolf Hitler, Jeffery Dahmer, Johnnie Cochran and Genghis Khan. Jesus Christ and Satan also made an appearance.
“One memory I’ll always carry is seeing the devil costumes for the Hell scene for the first time—it was such a wild experience,” Metz said. “Being part of the quick changes and helping the actors get into them was surreal and gave me a front-row look at the incredible work that brings the show to life.”
Parker and Stone first brought the musical to Broadway in 2011 and rewrote portions of the script in 2020. The Asteria Theatre’s cast performed this updated version to a standing ovation.
