On Broadway

No trip to New York is complete without a Broadway show. We saw two - A Bronx Tale and The Book of Mormon. We liked both of them but must admit that both of us enjoyed A Bronx Tale more.

When The Book of Mormon first came out on Broadway there was a great deal of hype about it - funny, irreverent, etc. At that time, I wasn't sure I wanted to see it, because it's just not in me to make fun of someone else's deeply held beliefs. But then when the Mormon Church came up with their ad campaign - "You've seen the play! Now read the book" - I figured if they were okay with it, then I was okay with it.

And yes, it has its funny moments. Irreverent? Absolutely. But also chock-full of profanity that didn't really add to the story - which by the way, was fairly preposterous. (And I'm okay with preposterous.) Let me say that I wasn't "offended" by it. It reminded me of the old days when Eddie Murphy was on Saturday Night Live. He was the funniest thing on television! And because of the FCC regulations, there was no profanity. And he was incredibly funny, but his live show was nothing but a jumble of four letter words. If you aren't funny without dropping the F bomb, you're probably just not funny. Believe me, if the F bomb gets dropped at our house, it is NOT a laughing matter.

I prefer the gentle humor of A Bronx Tale, which was based on a true story. And even though I didn't think the romantic story line was as well-developed as it might have been, it was a good show. I'd go see it again. There are any number of shows I've seen more than once, Hairspray, Mama Mia, Wicked, and Lion King to name a few. (And some I'd like to see again - Kinky Boots, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.) The touring company for Book of Mormon will be in Dallas next year but I don't think I'll go out of my way to see it again. And that sums it up.