Yesterday @Emily and I met our friends Matt and @Sarah at Kobe Ninja House Japanese Grill off of Stillwater Avenue in Bangor, Maine. The restaurant had a stylish vibe and a great atmosphere. As we arrived, we could hear the Hibachi chefs whooping and putting on a good show!
We were seated within a minute of our party arriving. Our chef arrived at the grill quickly and we were seated with a few college-aged women we didn’t know.
Our chef was fun and engaging–however, the girls at the table were not really paying him much attention and I felt bad for the chef. I don’t understand why someone would go out to a Hibachi dinner and choose to not engage with the chef, but alas… the world’s a myriad of mystery to me.
I ordered the Chicken & Rib-eye Steak hibachi which included rice, noodles, mixed vegetables, steak, chicken and two shrimp. The entree also came with clear soup and a green salad. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a photo of any of this because I was ready for dinner.
The clear soup was absolutely delicious and incredibly flavorful. The green salad had a ginger dressing which was also very good.
The noodles were great, fried on the hibachi with garlic, soy, and (I think) teriyaki. The rice, also fried on the hibachi, had fried eggs, garlic, soy and teriyaki as well. The rice was my favorite of the two, for sure.
I asked for medium steak and it was on the rarer side of medium–which is fine. I prefer a more medium-rare cut but often, when I order “medium rare” I receive “rare.” The steak was smothered in the same garlic, soy, and teriyaki sauces. So was the chicken, shrimp, and veggies–all of which were equally delicious.
Overall the portion sizes were large and satisfying. I didn’t end up finishing all my plate so we boxed up our leftovers and paid our bill. For two meals, we spent about $52 which I felt was fair.
Then, we made our way to the venue across town for the show. We saw the Tony award-winning Book of Mormon musical by Trey Parker, Matt Stone, and Robert Lopez at the Cross Insurance Center.
I’ve been to this venue once before as a representative of my town at the Maine Democratic Party rally many years ago.
Tonight, though, they had sectioned off half the arena and erected a stage in the middle. It’s a non-traditional setup, but it was cool.
We were along the back of the venue but still had a great view of the stage.
Now, here’s the deal. The Book of Mormon musical holds a special place in my heart. I saw the show while it was on tour in Boston in 2013. It was an incredible experience and one that I’ve cherished ever since. See, I grew up as a member of the LDS church.
I had a lot of great (and also not-so-great) experiences as a Latter-day Saint (colloquially called Mormon), but it ultimately wasn’t for me. I left when I was 16 on not great terms (neither with the church or with my parents). Long story short, seeing the Book of Mormon was an excellent experience that helped me come to terms with my exit and my feelings regarding my time as an LDS youth.
Back in 2013, the show had only been running for about two years. Tonight’s performance, though, they’ve had over a decade on tour and they’ve worked out some of the kinks, honed the jokes, and refined the storytelling!
Comparing the two performances I’d say the new iteration is better overall with probably 20-30% new content. Some scenes were added to clarify things, some jokes were updated, and I was very impressed.
Despite the vulgarity and some shocking content, the Book of Mormon is a wholesome and beautiful musical with real heart and a genuine admiration for Mormonism. My original viewing in 2013 shifted my whole perspective on not only the LDS church, but organized religion in general. I found tonight’s viewing to be energizing and moving. The music is incredible, the actors were terrific, and the Book of Mormon is one of my favorite shows of all time. It comes with my highest recommendation!
Two things I did want to note, though. First, the show started off with some technical issues including microphones that didn’t work which resulted in some cues being missed. The audio issues continued to pop up from time to time with several instances of feedback being noticeable. But, hey. That’s live theater for you!
The other issue, though, that took me out of a few scenes had to do with the spotlights. Whoever was controlling them didn’t seem to have rehearsed much. In their defense, though, the spotlights (and probably the operator's view) were being obstructed by the hanging metal girder you can see in the above picture. There were several times where the spotlights were being shined through that girder. It meant that the equipment mounted to the girder were casting harsh shadows on the actors faces. It was quite distracting during musical numbers like “I Believe” and “Sal Tlay Ka Siti.”
I also had to give Emily my jacket as the place was pretty chilly after intermission.
I’m so glad Book of Mormon is on tour again and if you have a chance, I highly recommend you check it out. It’s funny, vulgar, and it has a lot of heart!
