Is The Book of Mormon Worth It? An Honest London Review

It has been making London laugh since 2013, and it is still one of the first shows visitors ask us about: is The Book of Mormon actually worth it? The honest answer depends on your sense of humour, your seat and, as our own booking data shows, the night you pick. Here is the full verdict: what you are paying for, where to sit at the Prince of Wales Theatre, and when to go to get the £25 seats rather than the £75 ones.

The short answer

If you love comedy and you are hard to offend, yes, emphatically. The Book of Mormon holds a 4.7 out of 5 rating from nearly 4,000 reviews on tickadoo, which for a show this rude is remarkable, and it remains the hardest, most consistent laugh in the West End. If jokes about religion, sex and disease are a dealbreaker, no amount of craft will fix that, and you should pick something else. There is no middle ground with this show, which is exactly how its creators like it.

What you are actually paying for

The pedigree here is serious, even if nothing else about the show is. The Book of Mormon comes from Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of South Park, and Robert Lopez, the EGOT-winning songwriter behind Avenue Q and Frozen. It follows two mismatched young missionaries, the polished over-achiever Elder Price and the needy fabulist Elder Cunningham, sent to a village in Uganda where poverty, disease and a local warlord make their doorstep pitch a very hard sell. It opened at the Prince of Wales Theatre on 21 March 2013, won nine Tony Awards on Broadway including Best Musical and four Oliviers in London including Best New Musical, and has been sustained ever since by the most reliable currency in theatre: people telling their friends.

The songs are the secret weapon

Here is what a cursory look at the poster will not tell you: the reason this show works is that the score is written with complete love for the form it is skewering. That Tony haul included Best Original Score, and it was earned. The opening number, Hello!, turns a doorbell-ringing sales pitch into one of the great musical-comedy openers. You and Me (But Mostly Me) is a pitch-perfect send-up of the soaring two-hander every big musical seems to contain, sung by a missionary whose ego cannot quite accommodate a partner. Turn It Off, a tap number about repressing your feelings until they stop existing, routinely stops the show.

Then there is I Believe, the earnest, gorgeously built anthem in which Elder Price belts increasingly startling articles of faith with total sincerity; it is the show in miniature, simultaneously a real Broadway showstopper and a demolition of one. Hasa Diga Eebowai does something similar to the sunny African welcome number you know from a certain lion-based musical, to ends we cannot print here. Even the fever-dream production number, Spooky Mormon Hell Dream, is staged with the conviction of a show that knows silly is only funny when it is done brilliantly. If you care about musical craft, you will have as good a night as the comedy fans.

Where to sit at the Prince of Wales

The venue is a genuine plus. The Prince of Wales was rebuilt in 2004 in a refurbishment reported at over £7 million, commissioned by Sir Cameron Mackintosh, and it shows: this is one of the most modern and comfortable houses in the West End, air-conditioned and with better legroom than almost any of its Victorian neighbours. It seats around 1,160 across just two levels, Stalls and Dress Circle, so nothing feels far from the stage.

A few practical pointers. The stalls have a proper rake and offset seating, so no seat sits directly behind another; the rows from the middle of the alphabet back climb nicely. The circle overhangs the rear stalls, with the view impact mainly from the mid-teens rows back, so if you are in the cheaper rear stalls, nearer is better. The front half of the Dress Circle offers some of the finest views in the building, with the caveat that the safety rail can nick the view in the first row or two. For value, the sweet spot is the mid-stalls around rows J to L, which often sit a price band or two below the premium seats for a view that is nearly as good. The cheapest seats cluster at the very back of both levels and the row ends, and in a house this size they are still perfectly serviceable. For more on stretching a seat budget across London, our guide to the best value seats in London theatres goes deeper.

When to go: what our booking data says

This is where a little planning pays for itself, and we can be precise, because it is our own live data. When we checked this week, a Tuesday performance in mid July, peak tourist season, started at £43.75, Saturday evening started at £50, and the Saturday matinee floor was £75 with only a handful of seats left. Book a few months ahead instead and the picture transforms: a Tuesday in mid October starts at £25, and even the Saturday matinee that week starts at £25, with Saturday evening holding at £50. Prices move with demand, so treat those as a snapshot rather than a promise, but the pattern is consistent and worth acting on.

The rules of thumb: midweek beats the weekend, booking ahead beats booking this week, and if you want a weekend slot, the matinee outside peak season is often the bargain. The show runs Monday to Saturday evenings with Friday and Saturday matinees, though schedules can change, so check the booking page for your date. At approximately 2 hours 20 minutes including a 15-minute interval, it is short by musical standards, which makes a pre-theatre dinner genuinely relaxed rather than a race. One warning worth knowing: latecomers may not be admitted until a suitable break, and this is not a show where you want to miss the opening number.

The honest caveats

• It is extremely rude, by design. Religion, sex, disease and violence are all punchlines. The official guidance is a parental advisory for explicit language, and realistically this is a show for ages 16 and up. Under-16s must be accompanied by an adult, and under-3s are not admitted at all.
• The shock has mellowed with age. What scandalised audiences in 2013 is merely very rude now. If you have heard a decade of hype about how outrageous it is, calibrate accordingly.
• Opinion is split on some of the satire. The joke is squarely on the naive Americans, but some audiences now find the depiction of a Ugandan village leans on stereotype. Worth knowing going in.
• It is a comedy first, last and always. If you want romance, spectacle or a good cry, this is not that show.

Who it is for, and who might pass

Perfect for South Park and Avenue Q fans, comedy lovers who want to laugh until it hurts, groups, and musical-theatre nerds who will catch every pastiche in the score. Also quietly ideal for anyone who finds musicals a bit earnest; this one is on your side. Who should pass? Anyone easily offended by religious mockery or crude humour, families with younger teenagers, and anyone whose idea of a great musical is a sweeping love story. No judgement either way; the show has never pretended to be for everyone.

So, is it worth it?

For the right audience, absolutely, and played smartly it is one of the West End's best-value big nights out. Time it midweek with a little notice and you are watching a nine-Tony, four-Olivier musical from £25, in one of London's most comfortable theatres, with the whole evening wrapped up in under two and a half hours. The crowd delivered its verdict long ago: 4.7 out of 5, nearly 4,000 reviews, thirteen years and counting. You can see availability and book The Book of Mormon at the Prince of Wales Theatre on tickadoo, and tickadoo+ members save across bookings.

Still deciding? Compare it with our verdicts on The Lion King and Les Misérables, see what is new this season in our best new West End shows guide, or browse everything on across our London theatre pages.

Frequently asked questions

How long is The Book of Mormon and is there an interval?

The running time is approximately 2 hours 20 minutes, including a 15-minute interval. Latecomers may not be admitted until a suitable break in the performance.

Is The Book of Mormon suitable for children?

No. It carries a parental advisory for explicit language and adult content; realistically it is a show for ages 16 and up. Under-16s must be accompanied by an adult ticketholder, and children under 3 are not admitted.

How much are The Book of Mormon tickets, and when is it cheapest?

Tickets on tickadoo start from £25. Based on our live booking data, the lowest prices go to midweek performances booked a few weeks or more ahead; last-minute weekend dates in peak season can start at £50 to £75. Check live availability for your date on the show's page.

Where are the best seats at the Prince of Wales Theatre?

The theatre has just two levels, Stalls and Dress Circle, and was rebuilt in 2004, so comfort and sightlines are among the best in the West End. The front half of the Dress Circle and the mid-stalls offer the strongest views, and mid-stalls rows around J to L are often the best value for money. In the rear stalls, sit as far forward as you can, as the circle overhangs from roughly the mid-teens rows back.

Who wrote The Book of Mormon?

Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of South Park, together with Robert Lopez, the songwriter behind Avenue Q and the Frozen films. The score won the Tony Award for Best Original Score.

Is The Book of Mormon offensive?

It sets out to be. Religion, sex and disease are all played for laughs, and the humour is explicit throughout. Most audiences find it hilarious and surprisingly warm-hearted, but if that content is a dealbreaker, this is not the show for you.