A Personal Perspective on the Play’s Humor and the Mormon Identity
I’ll never forget my experience seeing The Book of Mormon musical in a Boston theater. As I sat elbow-to-elbow with the audience, I made it a point to observe everyone’s reactions as much as the stage performance itself. I laughed along to the catchy tunes, even as some parts of the show made me cringe. I told myself I was open-minded, able to appreciate a joke. Yet, deep down, there was an unease I couldn’t quite understand at the time.
Years later, I’ve come to realize the source of that discomfort: I’m Mormon—culturally, if not strictly religiously—and the musical’s portrayal of Mormonism clashed with my understanding of it. Cultural Mormonism, a unique facet that exists alongside the religious practices of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), is often misunderstood. Many people confuse LDS with the fundamentalist FLDS church, a separate movement that splintered off in the 20th century to continue polygamy. This distinction, and the cultural nuances that come with it, makes representations of Mormonism in media feel more complicated.
While the musical was full of humor, for those of us who identify with this cultural backdrop, it felt like more than just satire—it was an outside perspective on a community with its own history, traditions, and complexities. The more I reflect, the more I realize how media like The Book of Mormon can make us confront our own identities in ways we don’t expect.
