Book of Mormon makes Calgary audiences cry with laughter

Leave it to the creators of “South Park” to take horrific things like female genital mutilation, AIDS, and famine, put it to song, and make you laugh about it — laugh hard enough to feel guilty.

“The Book of Mormon” tour is in Calgary this week at the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, presented by Broadway Across Canada.

Fans of “South Park” already know that Matt Stone and Trey Parker are multi-faceted comic writers, and “The Book of Mormon” shows that fact again.

It’s unafraid and unashamed to grab the low hanging fruit of obscenity, but also clever enough to plant a golden message. Underneath the obtusity of characters donning phallic appendages and marching around the stage pantomiming sexual activity, there is a message about human goodness in there somehow.

Craig Franke is a long haul performer who has been with the current cast since it started touring in August 2022. He said it can be a challenge keeping up the energy night after night after over 600 performances, but it’s an honour he would like to continue.

He plays the role of Elder McKinley in the show, a leader of a Mormon mission in Uganda. MicKinley is also a heavily repressed gay man who believes he can just “turn it off like a light switch.”

As for the content of the show, Franke said if audiences can turn off the shock of the obscenity, they may see the sweeter message underneath, calling it an affirmation of faith.

“It’s all about finding purpose in your community… and finding purpose in the people around you and making the best of your situation,” he said.

The music is also super, super catchy.

Joining Stone and Parker, the third and most musical mind behind the show is Robert Lopez. He also wrote the songs for Broadway smash hit “Avenue Q” — a parody of “Sesame Street,” and co-wrote songs for Disney’s “Frozen” and “Frozen 2,” including the ear worm, ‘Let it Go.’

The show is in Calgary for this week only. Tickets can be found here.