Book of Mormon

This past weekend, my family and I went and saw The Book of Mormon in San Francisco. We've had the tickets for months. I bought them when they first came out for my husband's birthday which was last month. Since it's his favorite musical, it was a pretty safe bet he'd like his gift. He's been lucky enough to see it before--tickets have been hard to come by the past two times the show has come to the city--but this was the first time me and the kids would be seeing it too.

Absolutely fantastic.

We knew the music beforehand. We've had the soundtrack for several years, and gradually introduced the whole thing to the kids. The show is definitely not for small children, and there is at least one song that has so much swearing in it, I can think of a ton of people who'd take offense. We don't actually swear around our house except in extreme circumstances, but one of the lessons we've attempted to pass onto the kids is that generally speaking language, while powerful, is about the power you give it.

Getting to see it live was a completely different matter. It's even funnier, if that's possible, which was helped by some truly terrific performances. Elder Cunningham is the awkward, bumbling missionary, and while his role is designed to be the anchor of the comedy, AJ Holmes, the young man in this cast, exceeded all expectations. He's got a terrific voice, but his interpretation of the character is what really sold it. His Cunningham is eager and awkward, a cross between a young Jon Cryer and Vince Vieluf's character in the movie Rat Race (which seriously, if you haven't seen it, you must, it's so damn funny).

After the show, we spent way too much money on souvenirs. The kid got T-shirts, but because I already own way too many, I bought a water bottle that makes me giggle instead:

If you ever get the chance to see it and aren't offended by irreverent material, I highly recommend it.