Heaven Sent

Divine intervention must have aligned South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone with Avenue Q co-creator Robert Lopez because their resulting collaboration, The Book of Mormon, is a Broadway miracle. The nine-time Tony Award-winning musical, which stops at the Palace Theatre June 18-July 7, tells the story of two Salt Lake City missionaries attempting to spread the gospel in war-torn Uganda, and it doesn't hold anything back. Although its bawdy approach has been mistaken for mockery, Samantha Marie Ware, who plays Nabulungi, insists it's just honesty. "We don't really make fun of Mormons directly," she says. "Everything we do and play on is of truth and honesty. ... What makes people uncomfortable is the fact we don't really lie about anything." 1501 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, 216-771-4444, playhousesquare.org