Best Musical of the Season — Alas
The Book of Mormon, from South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker, got ecstatic reviews, is a huge box-office hit and, with 14 nominations, seems assured of a Tony sweep. It's certainly an enjoyable show, and probably better than anything else in a weak season for musicals. But I was a little disappointed. The score is a cut below Parker and Stone's feature-film musical South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut (for which Marc Shaiman wrote the music; here it's a do-it-yourself job by Stone, Parker and Avenue Q's Robert Lopez). The naughtiness is pretty juvenile (a character called "General Butt-F------ Naked" gets big laughs) and the satire of Mormonism surprisingly mild. By setting the action in Uganda — where a band of fresh-faced Mormon missionaries arrive to try converting the natives — the show neatly avoids the religion's more distasteful, controversial aspects. (Not even a mention of polygamy!) But what the heck: it's a feel-good show, and will make for a feel-good Tony night.