‘The Book of Mormon’ rolls back into Pittsburgh
“The Book of Mormon” is back in town, as shocking and hilarious as ever and just as urgent in its representation of people who are worlds apart — fresh-faced missionaries and Ugandans suffering from AIDS and tyranny — finding a way to relate to one another.
The show that won nine Tony Awards is traditional in every sense of the great 20th-century musicals and then explodes the genre with over-the-top profanity and an irreverent exploration of religion masquerading as blasphemy.
“I think what ‘ Mormon’ does is, it takes a taboo subject and gives it a heart,” said Jake Emmerling, an ensemble member from Derry appearing with “The Book of Mormon” tour at the Benedum Center.
“That threw me off when I saw the show the first time. I cried three times because it does a beautiful job of throwing the comedy at you and then instantly turning and throwing an emotional moment at you. They craft that so well.”
“They” are a bunch of bigtime theater and television players who were in the room when he auditioned for “Mormon’s” second national tour.
A year after his 2011 graduation from Shenandoah Conservatory in Virginia, Mr. Emmerling moved to Chicago, and it was there he auditioned for “Mormon” and its starry team of awardwinning creators: co-director-choreographer Casey Nicholaw, writers Trey Parker (who co-directed) and Matt Stone of “South Park,” and composer Robert Lopez, among the lofty few EGOT ( Emmy/Grammy/ Oscar/Tony) winners.
“It was as terrifying as it was thrilling” when that group walked into the rehearsal room in New York, during the week of Superstorm Sandy. “I remember Ben Platt looking at me and going, ‘OK, no pressure.’ ”
Mr. Platt is now the toast of Broadway in “Dear Evan Hansen,” but back then, the star of the “Pitch Perfect” films was in the role of Elder Cunningham, originated on Broadway by Josh Gad.
“With a show like this, and at that level, we just want to do a good job … it’s so much fun to drink in that energy,” said Mr. Emmerling, who came to the auditions having never seen the musical. “The Book of Mormon” has been such a hot ticket since it opened — it was listed above capacity for the Broadway box-office grosses in the week ending Feb. 12 — that there was no way in for “a poor actor living in Chicago.”
He had the required all-American looks of the show’s Mormon elders, and “I have a very positive persona, and I bring a very open and welcoming energy into the room,” he said.
That apparently sealed the deal, and Mr. Emmerling has been on tour with “The Book of Mormon” for four years as a member of the seven-man “Mormon Boy Ensemble,” which doubles in a bunch of small character roles.
For him, the musical never gets old, even after living out of a suitcase for so many years. The hardest part of traveling is being in cities he would love to explore but has no time to in a week of eight performances. He came through Pittsburgh with the tour in its last appearance at the Benedum Center, in 2014.
Mr. Emmerling recalled the first time he played the music for his parents.
“They looked at me, like, ‘What is this?’ ”
Now, they have seen the show more than 20 times in cities across the country.
Of course, not everyone can warm up to the over-thetop profanity and outrageous circumstances regarding race and religion that are central to “The Book of Mormon.”
“There are a couple of family members I hold my breath for,” Mr. Emmerling said. “At the stage door they are very supportive and they will say wonderful compliments like, ‘Wow, you guys really move up there,’ kind of addressing what we are doing but not the show.”
His supportive grandmother, who has seen the show five times, admitted to his mother, “I think I liked him in ‘South Pacific’ better.”
His family knows to look for him in a blue tie and backpack or pick him out from the ensemble of elder clones as Elder Brown at the beginning, Elder Michaels later on, and as Brigham Young in the number “All American Prophet.”
That big musical number about the the Mormon religion is one of the few that has nothing to offend — in fact, the elders never use profanity.
“I think it was day two, when we were working on [the opening number] ‘Hello,’ that Casey and Trey said, ‘You are not here to make a caricature of Mormons; you are not here to make fun of Mormons. We need you to be actors playing real people, showing genuine emotions onstage.’ I respected that so much. I was like, ‘Oh my God, thank you!’ ”
“The Book of Mormon” has proved it has staying power despite its potential to offend, well, everyone.
“Yeah, it has those moments,” Mr. Emmerling admitted. But it also has an undeniable sweetness and characters who are relatable across the scope of race and religions.
“I think people can connect with that — and it’s funny to boot.”