At its heart, this play is the buddy comedy you never knew you needed. It follows two young missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who get shipped off to a remote village in Uganda. One is a golden-hearted nerd named Elder Price, and the other is his awkward, slightly goofy partner, Elder Cunningham.
The twist? Uganda is not the paradise they were promised. The villagers are dealing with real problems like poverty, disease, and a brutal warlord. Nobody cares about some book written in upstate New York when you're just trying to survive the day.
Spoiler: It's Not a Church Commercial
Let's get the big question out of the way: No, it is not a pro-Mormon ad, and it's not a hit piece either. The creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone (the dudes behind South Park), and Robert Lopez (who made Avenue Q), are geniuses at poking fun at everything. They lovingly lampoon the wholesome, earnest nature of the missionaries while also making fun of the wilder bits of the religion.
Think of it like a roast at a comedy club. You only roast the people you really know and kind of love. The play is ridiculously over-the-top, but it never feels mean-spirited. It’s more like a giant, hilarious hug that happens to have a few swear words and a talking, singing frog.
