Playbill of The Week" Altar Boyz

25/53

I was raised Catholic. I was Baptized, I had my confirmation in Grade 8, chose a name of a Saint to forever be with me. I chose the name Bernadette, mostly because of Bernadette Peters, who I believe is a saint. And thankfully there was an actual Saint Bernadette so it worked out. I sang in the church choir, until my vocal coach told me to quit because it was ruining my voice. And I went to Catholic elementary school. I switched to the public schools in high school when I realized I wasn't a very religious person, and the public school had a better drama program. But growing up Catholic made seeing the Altar Boyz an even bigger treat then it already was. Anyone who grew up going to church would be able to understand the hilarity of this show, but it made it even funnier being a Catholic.

I went to the show with my Grammy, who was pretty religious. She went to Church every week and always prayed. And I don't think I've ever seen her laugh more in my life then at this show. She had the cast recording and would play 'Church Rulez' which she found hilarious. A song describing the constant movement in mass. Stand up, kneel, sit down. At one point in the show they choose an audience member to come up and get serenaded by one of the boys and I have to say I think she was disappointed she didn't get chosen.

For anyone that doesn't know this show its basic premise is following a Catholic boy-band who is converting their audience to Catholicism and cleansing them of their sins. The weirdest plot, or the most genius show around? I don't know that's up to you to decide. The show takes you through all the members personal journeys and teaches you the word of God. With a book by Kevin Del Aguila, you may know his as Smee from Peter and The Starcatcher or as Oaken in the upcoming Frozen on Broadway, it's one of the funniest shows I've ever seen, with really wonderful lessons about friendship, love and acceptance.

The cast is made up of the 5 boy band members. Matthew the leading man played by Matthew Buckner. His charisma leaped off the stage and made every audience member turn into that giddy high school girl with posters all over her walls. Mark, the more feminine of the group, played hilariously by Ryan J Ratliff. He played the stereotypically "confused" member of the group with such comedy, but with truth as well. There was a real conflict with his Mark that took the character from cartoon to real person. His "Epiphany" was genuine and perfect. Then we have Luke, the more street style boy-band member. Landon Beard played him so well, he was definitely my crush of the group, even though his character was absolutely ridiculous. Think of Steven from Bring It On the Musical and Sonny from In The Heights mixed together and you get Luke. Then we have Juan the ethnic one of the group. He's definitely the one who takes religion the most seriously. His song "La Vida Eternal" is a much different pace from the rest of the show and so refreshing. Jay Garcia does a great job with Juan, and again making him comical but still making him a real person and not a caricature. The last member of the group is Abraham the Jewish one. He's definitely brought into the group because they needed a fifth member. And Ryan Strand did a great job as well with bringing Abraham to life. The whole cast was just hilarious and a perfect fit for their roles.

What I love about this show is how real it is. It's a play on the religion, it's comical and hilarious, but nothing is falsified. When they explain the church and the customs it's so relatable. If you're a fan of The Book of Mormon and have never checked out Altar Boyz, I can guarantee that you'll love this show. It has an amazing five o'clock number in "Epiphany" it has a hilarious opening song in "We Are The Altar Boyz" it has a scary dream sequence in "Number 918" and a wonderful ending song that brings everyone together in "I Believe" wait a second that sounds familiar. If you're a Catholic, or religious at all you'll find this show endearing and entertaining. It's a harmless, hysterical combination of our cultures obsession with boy-bands and religion. The show should be constantly on tour, and honestly I wish it was a girl group instead so I could be in it. Thank you for the laughs Altar Boyz. I hold this show in highest regards because of the memories it gave me. When I think of my Grammy, I picture her laughing at New World Stages. "I believe that with you in my life I'll make it, I believe in you."