The Book of Mormon
QPAC, Brisbane
The spotlight hits centre stage inside QPAC’s Playhouse Theatre and, with a bright-eyed “Hello!”, The Book of Mormonimmediately reminds you why it remains one of the funniest musicals of the past two decades.
Now midway through its second Australian tour following sold-out seasons in Sydney and Melbourne, Trey Parker, Matt Stone and Robert Lopez’s wildly irreverent Broadway smash has lost none of its bite. Equal parts outrageous satire and surprisingly heartfelt coming-of-age story, it continues to find fresh laughs while asking unexpected questions about faith, friendship and belonging.
The story follows two young Mormon missionaries sent from Salt Lake City to Uganda, where their carefully rehearsed plans quickly unravel. Elder Price (Sean Johnston) is the model missionary whose confidence begins to crack under pressure, while the hopelessly optimistic Elder Cunningham (Nick Cox) relies on increasingly elaborate lies to navigate situations well beyond his experience.
The premise remains as gloriously absurd as ever, but what elevates The Book of Mormon above simple shock comedy is its enormous heart. Beneath the profanity, religious satire and deliberately outrageous humour is a story about people from vastly different worlds finding common ground. Parker and Stone push boundaries with remarkable confidence, but the jokes almost always serve the characters rather than existing purely for provocation.
For audiences unfamiliar with the show, songs such as “Hasa Diga Eebowai” are likely to raise eyebrows. Yet even the musical’s most offensive moments are delivered with such commitment and theatrical precision that they become impossible not to laugh at. The humour isn’t designed to offend for its own sake; it’s there to expose hypocrisy while celebrating resilience.
Sean Johnston gives Elder Price the confidence and charisma the role demands before gradually revealing the insecurity beneath the perfectly pressed white shirt. His performance charts the character’s emotional journey with warmth and sincerity, making Price’s eventual crisis of faith genuinely affecting.
Nick Cox is equally impressive as Elder Cunningham, whose chronic exaggeration becomes both his greatest weakness and his greatest strength. Cox possesses superb comic timing, extracting laughs from almost every awkward pause and increasingly ridiculous misunderstanding. His mangled attempts at pronouncing Nabulungi’s name become one of the evening’s simplest—and funniest—running gags.
Making an impressive professional debut, Paris Leveque brings warmth and quiet optimism to Nabulungi. Her performance of “Sal Tlay Ka Siti” is one of the evening’s emotional highlights, balancing innocence, hope and humour in equal measure. It’s a beautifully judged performance that suggests an exciting future.
The entire company performs with remarkable precision, particularly during Casey Nicholaw’s exhilarating choreography. Numbers such as “Two by Two,” “Turn It Off” and the brilliantly unhinged “Spooky Mormon Hell Dream” remain among the most inventive musical theatre sequences of the modern era. Every movement feels meticulously crafted, yet never mechanical, allowing the ensemble’s infectious energy to shine through.
Just as impressive is the show’s ability to maintain momentum. Every musical number lands, every joke finds its audience and every scene builds naturally towards the next. It’s a production that understands exactly what it is and executes it with enormous confidence.
More than a decade after it first shocked Broadway, The Book of Mormon remains one of the smartest mainstream musicals in recent memory. It’s fearless, ridiculous, occasionally confronting and consistently hilarious. Whether you’re discovering it for the first time or returning for another visit, this Brisbane production proves the musical has lost none of its ability to surprise—or make audiences laugh until their faces hurt.
★★★★½
Ainsley Mura