'Book of Mormon' celebrates faith, humor

The Tony Award-winning show focuses on two young Mormon missionaries who travel to Uganda to preach the religion but have a rough time converting people to the faith.

"He is dealing with some personal issues and he handles both of those things in the same way - with a smile and with a lot of misplaced positivity," Huntington Jones said of his character. "It is a really fun part to play because we all know what it feels like to try to make the best of an uncomfortable situation."

Huntington Jones said he especially connects with "Turn it Off," a song in the first act. "It is quite cathartic because, yes, this is part of how some Mormons behave, but I think we all repress some of our feelings."

Huntington Jones couldn't hold back his feelings for theater.

"When I was a kid, I did a community theater production of 'Wizard of Oz.' I was the coroner. I remember going on stage and I could not stop smiling," he said. "I was 8 and on stage and I thought this was the most fun ever."

Huntington Jones went on to study musical theater at the University of Michigan.

"I started (acting) because it was profoundly fun. I stayed because I think we can learn a lot about ourselves by listening other people's stories," he said.

He has performed in the Broadway revival of Cats in 2016 as well as "Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella," both on Broadway and on tour.

This is his second time playing the role of Elder McKinley. He also played the role during the U.S. tour in 2012.

"I think that when the show came out in 2011, it was really successfully in some very large cities, in some liberal markets, and I think that a lot of the first people who saw the show, a lot of the people came to see the show to make fun of the Mormon faith and, in leaving the show, they realized the show was more about collective humanity and everyone's need to believe."

That connection to religion and humanity is part of what has kept "Book of Mormon" around so long, he said.

"I think that having a strong belief system is comforting and I think that the characters in the 'Book of Mormon' are forced to reconcile with the parts of humanity that religion can't explain."

Each city brings a new audience with a new reaction to the show.

"Everyone responds to the show differently. Everyone has a different perspective of the world, but everyone wants something to believe in," he said. "So much of the humor is about the parts of religion that we take with a grain of salt, the parts of religion that aren't in our own belief system we might laugh at, but when you get to the end of the show these characters are celebrating the unknown and they are celebrating faith. It is a lot more faith positive than a lot of people realize."