Almanac Theatre Reviews: ‘The Book of Mormon’ the Musical – A Hilariously Inappropriate Experience

June 19, 2026 by marinac182 Leave a Comment

The Book of Mormon will leave you gobsmacked and with a sore belly from laughing!

The Book of Mormon is currently playing at the Princess Theatre. Written by the writers of South Park, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and the co-creator of the musical Avenue Q, Robert Lopez, the show follows Mormon Elders Kevin Price and Arnold Cunningham on their assigned mission trip to Uganda. However, upon arrival, they learn that the other Mormon missionaries sent there have all been unsuccessful in converting the people to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and all the Ugandans have a passionate hate for God, a horrific outbreak of AIDS, and a huge fear of their Warlord leader.

For those who may not know the history of the Book of Mormon, the Mormon religion first came about in 1823, when New York man Joseph Smith claimed he was led to the golden plates by the Angel Moroni, which were buried by a tree on a hill. Those plates were said to had ancient engravings written on them, and Joseph Smith was instructed to translate them onto paper by the Angel Moroni, but was told he was forbidden from ever showing the plates to anyone else. After translating the plates and writing all that they said onto paper, the plates disappeared/were returned to God, and Joseph Smith published the writings as a book titled The Book of Mormon. While some people followed Joseph Smith, others were skeptical, and eventually, Joseph Smith and his followers left New York in search of “paradise”. Smith was later shot and killed on the search for paradise, and his friend Brigham Young led the Mormons to Salt Lake City, Utah, claiming it was the “paradise” they were searching for.

For a more entertaining version of the story, you can have a listen to “All American Prophet”, a song from The Book of Mormon musical (please be aware there is a very brief mention of a scrotum in the song).

In the lead roles of Elder Price and Elder Cunningham were Sean Johnston and Nick Cox. The chemistry between these two made for many laugh-out-loud moments in between the already hilarious songs. Johnson did fantastically as the devout, ambitious and charismatic Elder Price who slowly loses his faith when things don’t go the way he hoped. His performance in “Spooky Mormon Hell Dream”, in which he dreams of being sent to Hell, was very amusing. Johnson mixed fear with comedy exceptionally well, so that you could thoroughly enjoy the absurdity of the song in addition to seeing how absolutely mortified Elder Price was.

Nick Cox, similarly, portrayed Elder Cunningham with so much enthusiasm that it’s hard not to smile every time he makes an appearance on stage (which is often). The ever-eager young Mormon who just wants to make his father proud and have a friend, Cox played the role of the hapless Elder Cunningham to perfection, and his comedic timing was absolutely incredible.

Rounding out the cast of both the Mormon missionaries and the Ugandan, were Paris Leveque as Nabulungi, the innocent daughter of Mafala who desperately seeks Paradise; Tom Struik as Elder McKinley, the closeted gay Mormon who leads the Mormon missionaries in Uganda; Simbarashe Matshe as Mafala, community leader and the father of Nabulungi, who just wants to keep his daughter and people safe and out of harm’s way; Augie Tchantcho as the Warlord General who everyone fears; and Matthew Hamilton as Joseph Smith and the Mission President.

Each one of these actors stood out in their roles on stage, performing with such emotion and enthusiasm, it was hard to remember you weren’t the only one they were performing for!

The Book of Mormon is a hilarious musical comedy with loveable characters, fantastic songs and incredible dancing. If you like your musicals with a side of inappropriateness, this is the show for you! But just know, going to this show is not for the light-hearted. The Book of Mormon includes explicit content, explicit language, and takes the piss out of religion. If you see this show, it is best to suspend your morals for a bit and just enjoy the show for what it is: a fabulously comedic musical.

The Book of Mormon is playing at The Princess Theatre (Melbourne) until July 19, 2026, before making its way to Brisbane from July 31.

Read more from Marina Cerra HERE.

If you would like to receive the Almanac Music and Poetry newsletter we will add you to the list. Please email us: [email protected]

To return to the www.footyalmanac.com.au home page click HERE

Our writers are independent contributors. The opinions expressed in their articles are their own. They are not the views, nor do they reflect the views, of Malarkey Publications.