By Elliott Brack, editor and publisher | Several people urged us to go see the road company of The Book of Mormon, saying they thought we would like it.
We went to the Fox Wednesday night, and came away not excited about the musical some say is so great. To us, it just was not up to par of stage performances we have seen before. Since it’s a musical with lots of toe-tapping dances, I would have thought a person would come away with the lyrics and beat of one of the songs in your mind. Didn’t happen.
Perhaps many accepted the musical as different as it took slaps at the Mormon church. While the church took its licks, it was only being attacked as would any institution, whether the Roman Church, the Deep South, or even a North Dakotan in Fargo.
Or maybe it was the sound system, as many of the one-liners went over our head, since we couldn’t clearly hear them. As another theatre-goer said on leaving the Fox: “I didn’t catch some of the nuances; I might have to go back four to five times to get them.”
Yet the show was excitable and lively, especially from the eight-member dance company, which has Cobb County’s own Jevares Myrick as the assistant dance captain. Aurora Theatre’s Ann-Carol Pence says of him: “We cast him in Christmas Canteen so that we could have a strong dancer, and wow!” It’s unusual for a road company to have a local cast member in tow.
Seeing The Book of Mormon, my mind went back to other major productions we have seen, here on stage, and in distant cities. A similar situation came to mind: when on a junket to Germany years ago, we were taken in Berlin to the Argentine-themed Evita, with German lyrics. Listening to Mormon was similar: I could not comprehend what was being said on stage very well, even though Mormon was in English. Later when seeing the English version of Evita, I understood more. Perhaps I needed a translation or a script to follow for Mormon.
That also brought back memories of other stage performances. A few years back, when in London, the only ticket we could get them was Kinky Boots, which turned out delightful, and even put lyrics and tunes in mind leaving the show. The Broadway version of that play is coming to the Fox in Atlanta on March 29 to April 3.
Another play we remember from London 55 years ago, when on vacation from our Army tour in Germany: My Fair Lady. Yep, the original version on stage in London. What a show! We still enjoy it when it’s on television. (The black-and-white scene of the horse race is our favorite.)
One of our daughters gave us tickets in Chicago to Phantom of the Opera, another well-enjoyed presentation. And once when in San Francisco, the original version of Godspell, has lyrics which still reverberate in our mind. A similar follow-up, Jesus Christ, Superstar, was another memorable, which we saw in Jacksonville, Fla.
As much as the super stage shows are wonderful, local productions are superb. We are so pleased to see Aurora Theatre thriving, and get the accolades it deserves. Its recent Mary Poppins had our granddaughters wondering how she would fly, and she did, to their delight! (If you haven’t seen it, go see Wit, Aurora’s current production, which is great.) And look at the season that the Norcross Lionheart Theatre is producing this year, as shown in the last edition of the Forum. That’s amazing!
Stage productions: they are wonderful. Mormon? For me, not so much.
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