Elder Price, shattered by his failed dream, abandons his companion. He heads to a nearby internet café and sings a hilarious lament about his shattered expectations. Meanwhile, Elder Cunningham panics. Desperate to connect with the villagers, he starts improvising the scriptures. He mixes Mormon doctrine with Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, and pop culture. “And Nephi said, ‘Let’s build a spaceship!’” he declares. The villagers are suddenly hooked.
This is the musical’s secret sauce: the power of a good story, even a wildly inaccurate one. Elder Cunningham’s made-up theology offers the villagers something the real church doesn’t—joy, humor, and a sense of agency. Nabulungi, in particular, finds her voice. She leads a song called “Sal Tlay Ka Siti” (a phonetic version of “Salt Lake City”), dreaming of a utopia where everyone can start over. It’s both heartbreaking and hilarious.
The plot turns when the real Mormon leadership arrives to inspect the mission’s progress. They are appalled by Elder Cunningham’s “flaming sword” revisions. But the villagers, now empowered by their own version of faith, refuse to back down. The musical reaches its climax with a show-stopping number, “Tomorrow Is a Latter Day,” where the Ugandans and missionaries join in a chaotic, joyful dance. Spoiler: they don’t convert, but they do learn to coexist.
Elder Cunningham West End
