Tasty Jam Spotlight: My Type by Saint Motel

          In this edition of Tasty Jam Spotlight, we explore the funk/pop-rock infusion of Saint Motel. The California based four-man band have created a fresh and, well, tasty track with a brass section in the vein of Uptown Funk and the rest in line with New Politics' "Harlem". Take a listen, you won't regret it.

The Book of Mormon: A Brutally Satirical Masterpiece

The Book of Mormon: the Grand Theft Auto of musicals, the Pulp Fiction of Broadway...
The South Park of stage shows.
Trey Parker and Matt Stone have done it once again. The fantastically funny show has received 27 total awards in its three full years of running, and for good reason. Parker and Stone have created the most wholly entertaining show I've ever seen.
Now, that's not to say it does not have its fair share of over-the-top, shocking moments with a few times that push the boundaries of taste. This is a double review, one from an entertainment perspective, and one from an appropriateness/Christian perspective. Let's first look at the things you should watch out for. I'll break it down song by song, because they are the main offenders, while trying to keep the story relatively spoiler free.

The Content

The Book of Mormon was created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of the infamous South Park. That is clearly evident in TBOM, as pretty much nothing is safe. That being said, it is SATIRICAL. For those of you who do not know what satire is, or need a refresher on what it truly means, here's the definition.

"the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues."

This definition makes satire seem like a bad thing, or something mean and harsh. In the case of TBOM, that is only partially true. I never felt as if my beliefs were being attacked. Trey Parker and Matt Stone have learned from 17 seasons of South Park about how to write witty, sharp, and carefully thought out satire, and it shows here. Instead of making TBOM a mockfest of organized religion and Mormonism, it seems more like a celebration of being able to laugh at ourselves in the things that we are strongly attached to. Now with that little exposition out of the way, let's get to the actual content.

Act One

The first three songs are clean, beautifully sung, and immensely funny.

Hello! is one of the greatest show openings in the history of musical theater.

Then we land in Africa.

The Mormons are introduced to an amazingly awful place with a warlord who shoots people in the face, AIDS, and very strong language. This strong language is evident throughout the show, ranging from basic "hell" to the taboo "c--t", which is used at least ten times. If you are easily offended by language, Hasa Diga Eebowai will pick you up from your seat and throw you out the window. 

Hasa Diga Eebowai is the first example of pushing the boundaries of taste. The first half is pretty chill, and phrase similar to Hakuna Matata, but then you find out what it means. When the Africans are upset with life, they are actually saying "F--k you God". Then the second half dances with middle-fingers to the sky. The Mormons are horrified, and this song is the proof that Uganda needs saving BADLY. It is a buoy for the progress of the Africans becoming believers at the hand of Elder Price and Elder Cunningham. 

Turn It Off has some touchy subjects that may remind certain people of bad events that happened in their life, but it taken lightly, as the Mormons of District 9 have learned to just "turn off" bad (or gay in Elder McKinely's case) feelings. 

The rest of Act One is relatively clean after that besides language and some brutal references made by General Butt F--king Naked. 

Man Up is simply one of the funniest, and fantastic Act One finales of all time. 

Act Two

Making Things Up Again features Elder Cunningham teaching the Africans after Elder Price has ditched. While is moral compass is sound, trying to convince the Africans to convert and believe is harder than he imagined, and they aren't listening, so he makes things up to convince them that Mormonism is the way to go. He says some weird things to tide them over, and help them believe. 

*SPOILER ALERT*

Most of the Africans, besides Nanalungi, take these stories as metaphors we find out later. Elder Cunningham truly does give the real truth to the Africans without having to explain the boring stuff

*SPOILER OVER*

Spooky Mormon Hell Dream is mostly clean and funny, but at a point, it says that Catholics and Jews should be in hell too alongside other infamous historical figures. That was a bit too much in my tastes. It is a VERY cool looking scene though. 

I Believe's ending is a bit rough. I don't wanna spoil it, because it is funny, but pretty gross. 

Baptize Me in its entirety, is a sexual innuendo. Nothing actually happens or close to anything, but it is inferred that they are having sex, but never actually do. Cunningham is too derpy for it. It's innocent enough. 

I Am Africa is a little racist.

Joseph Smith American Moses is the low point of the show. It's a retelling of all of the stories Elder Cunningham told them. Featuring huge, fake *ahem* private parts and frogs, it's a gross song that crossed the line too much. It wasn't completely unnecessary though, it was essential to move the plot forward.

So that's the content. There's quite a bit, I know, but there is less there then I thought there would be. That list is missing six or seven songs. There is a lot of things that are quite innocent because the Mormons are so bent on following the rules and not having the Spooky Mormon Hell Dream. The Mormons do not swear, (until the last five minutes), and are very clean. Now that all that is out of the way, we can get to the real reason you go in the first place. Is it entertaining?

YES.

The Review

The Book of Mormon is the funniest and most thoroughly entertaining show I have ever seen. Trey Parker and Matt Stone have mastered comedy and The Book of Mormon is an excellent example of their expertise. 

The cast was absolutely solid, through and through. Elder Price (David Larsen) and Elder Cunningham (Cody Strand) were a phenomenal pair. While Price is the protagonist, Cunningham stole the show the moment he stepped on stage. His voice reminded me of comedian Gabriel Iglesias, mixed with Borderland's Claptrap. His comedic timing was impeccable, and his voice was surprisingly gorgeous. Man Up was a highlight of the show. 

Speaking of show highlights, there are a TON. Hello! is the perfect show opener. You and Me (But Mostly Me) is the amazingly funny Bro duet. Turn It Off's tap number was astounding. Spooky Mormon Hell Dream was a technical and choreographical marvel. I Believe was the perfect show climax, and Baptize Me was the perfect comedic foil. And the ending was so funny and unexpected, that it made me cheer halfway through. 

Book of Mormon is a very guy-heavy show, so male harmonies abound. I have never heard better male harmonies in my entire life. The score is excellent, and there are only a few songs that "lack". and by lack, I mean that the best numbers are just so incredibly entertaining, that the ones that would be standouts in any other show are kind of anticlimactic by comparisons. 

The set was small, but effective. Everything was detailed, and had multiple uses. Set changes were instantaneous and ingenious. Lighting was well implemented, and can change the mood of the scene instantly. 

My only complaint with the overall show, was that the second half of the second act seemed to lose a bit of steam. But then picked right back up for Joseph Smith American Moses. 

The show was phenomenal, massively entertaining, and laugh-out-loud funny. If you can handle the abundant mature content, and are able to take satirical content as it is meant, The Book of Mormon is a must-see. 

Entertainment Score: 9 out of 10 (10 being best ever)

Appropriate Rating: 4 out of 10 (10 being cleanest)

(If taken the way it is intended: 6 out of 10)