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Hello, Brothers and Sisters. Today I have been asked to talk about…just kidding.

When you think about big Broadway musicals and the people you associate with them, most people would not immediately think, “Oh, I bet that would be the perfect industry for members of the LDS Church.”  Well, guess what?  I’m Jeremy.  I make my living in theatre…and I’m a Mormon.

All of my friends were filled with questions for me a few years ago when they heard the creators of South Park and the musical Avenue Q were joining forces to create a musical called…GASP “The Book of Mormon.” How dare they? What will the church say? Will there be protests? Will I go see it? For me the answer was simple, HECK YEAH. I am a fan of all of their work. Avenue  Q was hysterical. South Park, while sometimes bordering on gross out shock value humor (in my opinion) was still funny. The creators are smart enough to never present lies about things. They just present the facts in an irreverent manner.  Their Mormon episode is in my top 5 favorites. The idea, to me, had potential.

Flash forward a couple of years and we all  know the cultural juggernaut it became. I was not living in New York by then so I didn’t get to see it right away. I made the conscious effort to avoid listening to the cast recording (it was a huge temptation to avoid). I assumed that a lot of the jokes would be funnier if I relied on their shock value, as it was with Avenue Q.

Flash forward to the spring of 2013 and I found out a friend in London, who was Bishop of a ward there had not only seen it, but said he walked saying it was kind of a “faith promoting” show. Now I was even more intrigued. I spent the summer in London and tried at least 25 times for their daily lottery of inexpensive front row seats. I lost every time and didn’t really want to pay the top price for West End tickets, even though they were still cheaper than Broadway. Well, I finally won on my next trip and sat down in the front row of the London’s Prince of Wales theatre on November 30, 2014. I had no idea what to expect. To paraphrase a song in the musical, “This show will change your life…”

The language was foul. Really foul. There were things that one missionary says that are flat out wrong. And the show is full of stereotypes. Of all the many stereotypes in the show, I think the group that comes off looking like a cartoon are the African people. But that is a topic for another blog..

However, at it’s heart is the character of Elder Cunningham. A bit naive and a great big stereotype. He is a missionary who loves what the church stands for and has a strong desire to share his thoughts with everyone. He will do anything he can to get people to join this church he loves so much. Unfortunately, some of the things involve changing stories about the church to help the people understand. Don’t ask me how Star Trek and frogs play into the tale. You will either be repulsed, laugh yourself silly, or understand that he was attempting (badly) to speak in parables. The African people portrayed on stage understand the metaphors yet I’ve heard church members that do not and take them literally. But that is the stuff of musical comedy.

Of course, you have the missionary suffering a crisis of faith who (SPOILER ALERT) comes back with a rousing 11 o’clock number called “I Believe.” Oddly enough, I had quoted that song in a talk I gave in an Arizona Sacrament meeting. Everyone loved the quote and were quite taken aback when I told them where it was from. Lyrics written for laughs involve church doctrine issues (just think Kolob, Jackson County Missouri, and African Americans getting the priesthood) but the character sings them from a place of love.

At the end of that particular song, I realized I had tears in my eyes. Not from laughing so hard but from this song. A song  in which this Elder, who had been struggling, was essentially  bearing his testimony to the audience and later to a Ugandan Warlord.

“…I believe that the Lord God created the universe
I believe that He sent His only Son to die for my sins
And I believe that ancient Jews built boats and sailed to America
I am a Mormon
And a Mormon just believes
You cannot just believe partway
You have to believe in it all
My problem was doubting the Lord’s will
Instead of standing tall…”

My eyes didn’t stay dry for long and I found myself on the verge of tears for the remaining parts of the show. And as I walked out, I knew that this church was really God’s true Church.

Flash forward to 2014 and I had moved to Naples, Florida to take one he job of House Manager for the local performing and visual arts center. The announcement was made that I had expected. Part of our Broadway season this year would involve a week of the touring company of “The Book of Mormon” I was ecstatic but nervous. Part of the reason I found it funny was being shocked by the jokes and lyrics. Would it be as funny on repeat viewings? I hadn’t listened to the music since seeing it. Would I find it offensive and less spiritually uplifting since after a week of performances? Well, we are half way through the week and I have a night off. I am choosing to enter the lottery and try to get a ticket. And I am on duty for two more performances. It’s been a joy to be around. The cast has gotten a kick out of having a #MormonHouseManager (yeah, I created a hashtag) because we think I am the first one they’ve had. I assume I won’t be the last once the show plays Salt Lake.  The only sad task was realising there were missionaries on our theatre property and having to be the one to remind them they had to be across the street. One of them had actually served in my ward for a while. They were cool about it.

If you are not a member who is bothered by language and like musicals, I encourage you to give it a shot. Even the conservative South Florida audiences are grinning on their way out. At the very least, it’s a great conversation starter.

I leave you with these things in the name of….Jeremy A Bennington. Amen.

@MrProducer on Twitter

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