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“The Book of Mormon,” one of the most popular Broadway shows of recent years, returns to Greensboro this month. Returning as part of the cast is Kemari Bryant, a 2021 graduate of UNCG.
“It’s exciting for me to come back to the place that I called home for like five years,” he said. “Some of the most influential moments of my life were in Greensboro.”
Bryant is from New Bern, where he started in community theater after seeing his first show at age 13. Soon he began dreaming of being a touring theater professional, which happened more quickly than he anticipated.
“I never expected or thought of this show in particular. I didn’t really know much about it before I started getting auditions for it from my agent,” said Bryant. Part of the show’s ensemble, he is most visible after the action leaves the United States. “I’ve been doing it ever since. I’ve been with the show since 2022 and it’s been really incredible.”
From the creators of the long-running, enthusiastically vulgar animated series “South Park” – Trey Parker and Matt Stone – and Bobby Lopez, a co-creator of hits like “Frozen” and “Coco,” the show is a musical comedy.
It’s the story of two representatives of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who are sent to spread the faith to residents of a remote village in Uganda. Their targets, however, have more pressing concerns, such as a local warlord, famine and HIV.
“And these kids go from Salt Lake City to a war zone,” Stone told Vulture magazine. “That’s supposed to be the more universal coming-of-age story.”
The material can be a little challenging. Shortly after the show’s debut, the denomination issued this statement in response: “The production may attempt to entertain audiences for an evening, but the Book of Mormon as a volume of scripture will change people’s lives forever by bringing them closer to Christ.”
“‘Book of Mormon’ is a comedy, it’s from the creators of ‘South Park’ so that’s a very specific kind of comedy that a lot of people are familiar with, even if they don’t think they are,” said Bryant.
Parker and Stone have developed their own comedic language, he added.
“Some audiences are a little slow to opening up to that language,” and must learn to process it during the performance, he said. “As you’re watching you have to learn how to take it in.”
Clearly people are capable of doing just that. According to the producers of this tour, the show has been seen by more than 19 million people in 134 countries. It has won multiple Tony awards, such as Best Musical, Best Original Score and Best Choreography. Drama Desk bestowed honors as well, including Outstanding Musical, Outstanding Lyrics and Outstanding Orchestrations.
The Internet Broadway Database reports that “The Book of Mormon” has logged more than 5,000 performances since its 2011 debut at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre, where it is still running.
This time in Greensboro, there will be five shows only at the Tanger Center, April 18-20. Tickets and information are available at tangercenter.com.
Tracy Fields is a veteran journalist and a Greensboro native. She writes entertainment features for the Carolina Peacemaker.
