The Book of Mormon (musical): Difference between revisions
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In 2004, Parker and Stone attended a performance of ''[[Avenue Q]]'' and met Lopez, who co-wrote the show's score. Lopez, a ''South Park'' fan, had been considering an idea for a musical involving Mormonism, and after meeting, the three decided to collaborate on ''The Book of Mormon''. They had to work around Parker and Stone's ''South Park'' schedule.<ref>Gardener, Elysa. "'South Park' duo goes Broadway: 'Mormon' is a 'pro-faith musical'". ''Stage''.'' USA Today''. February 21, 2011. Accessed 23 February 2011.</ref><ref name=Time1/> |
In 2004, Parker and Stone attended a performance of ''[[Avenue Q]]'' and met Lopez, who co-wrote the show's score. Lopez, a ''South Park'' fan, had been considering an idea for a musical involving Mormonism, and after meeting, the three decided to collaborate on ''The Book of Mormon''. They had to work around Parker and Stone's ''South Park'' schedule.<ref>Gardener, Elysa. "'South Park' duo goes Broadway: 'Mormon' is a 'pro-faith musical'". ''Stage''.'' USA Today''. February 21, 2011. Accessed 23 February 2011.</ref><ref name=Time1/> |
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Developmental workshops directed by [[Jason Moore (director)|Jason Moore]], starred [[Cheyenne Jackson]].<ref name="id">{{Citation |last= Adams |first= Guy |title= Mormons to get 'South Park' treatment |newspaper= [[The Independent]] |date= 2008-11-19 |url= http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/mormons-to-get-south-park-treatment-1024598.html}}</ref> [[Scott Rudin]] was named as the producer of the show (Rudin also |
Developmental workshops directed by [[Jason Moore (director)|Jason Moore]], starred [[Cheyenne Jackson]].<ref name="id">{{Citation |last= Adams |first= Guy |title= Mormons to get 'South Park' treatment |newspaper= [[The Independent]] |date= 2008-11-19 |url= http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/mormons-to-get-south-park-treatment-1024598.html}}</ref> [[Scott Rudin]] was named as the producer of the show (Rudin also produced Parker and Stone's ''South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut'' and ''[[Team America: World Police]]'').<ref>Andrew Gans, [http://www.playbill.com/news/article/138720-Musical-by-South-Park-Avenue-Q-Creators-Aiming-for-Broadway-in-2011 Musical by South Park-Avenue Q Creators Aiming for Broadway in 2011], ''[[Playbill]]'', 2010-04-14</ref> The show was originally slated to open on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] in 2009,<ref name="id"/> but it was delayed until 2011. |
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==Synopsis== |
==Synopsis== |
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Revision as of 19:13, 4 May 2011
| The Book of Mormon | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Music | Robert Lopez Trey Parker Matt Stone |
| Lyrics | Robert Lopez Trey Parker Matt Stone |
| Book | Robert Lopez Trey Parker Matt Stone |
| Basis | Mormons and the Book of Mormon |
| Productions | 2011 Broadway |
The Book of Mormon is a religious satire musical[1] written by Trey Parker, Matt Stone and Robert Lopez. The show "tells the story of two young Mormon missionaries sent off to spread the word in a dangerous part of Uganda"[2] while gently lampooning organized religion and traditional musical theatre. The musical premiered on Broadway in March 2011.
Background
Parker and Stone became friends at the University of Colorado at Boulder. There, they collaborated on a musical film, Cannibal! The Musical (1993).[3] In 1997, they created the TV series South Park for Comedy Central and the 1999 musical film South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut.[4] Their 1998 film, Orgazmo, and a 2003 episode of South Park both gave comic treatment to Mormonism.[3]
In 2004, Parker and Stone attended a performance of Avenue Q and met Lopez, who co-wrote the show's score. Lopez, a South Park fan, had been considering an idea for a musical involving Mormonism, and after meeting, the three decided to collaborate on The Book of Mormon. They had to work around Parker and Stone's South Park schedule.[5][3]
Developmental workshops directed by Jason Moore, starred Cheyenne Jackson.[6] Scott Rudin was named as the producer of the show (Rudin also produced Parker and Stone's South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut and Team America: World Police).[7] The show was originally slated to open on Broadway in 2009,[6] but it was delayed until 2011.
Synopsis
In the present day, two mismatched Mormon missionaries are sent together to Uganda, Africa. Elder Cunningham is an insecure, overweight, irritating liar, while Elder Price is a devout, enthusiastic, handsome, pompous, over-confident fellow. There, they see people living in appalling conditions of famine, poverty and AIDS, who are ruled by a despotic, murderous chieftain. The native Ugandans curse their existence (saying, "Fuck you, God!"). Several other missionaries already in the country have been unable to convert the locals to Mormonism. The Ugandans cope with their miserable lives by feigning happiness.
Price is certain that he can succeed where the other Mormon Elders have failed. The Ugandans find him arrogant and are not impressed. Soon, Price wishes to be sent elsewhere, like Orlando, Florida. Cunningham, unhappy with Price, finally takes the initiative. The local leader's daughter, Nabulungi, wants Cunningham to take the whole village to "Salt-e Lake City", where they can find fortune and avoid the horrors of rape, genital mutilation and murder. Cunningham lacks much knowledge of the Book of Mormon, but he makes up stories that combine what he knows of Mormon doctrine with bits and pieces of science fiction and other cultural ideas, many of them unsavory.
The villagers are enchanted; they are baptized and accept Mormonism. They gain the confidence to resist the despot, who also finally converts. Price is astonished to learn that the importance of religion is not truth, but whether it helps people. Ironically, his faith, and that of the other missionaries, is revitalized, and they stay to help the village.
Musical numbers
- Act I
- "Hello" – Price, Cunningham and Mormon Boys
- "Two By Two" – Price, Cunningham and Mormon Boys
- "You and Me (But Mostly Me)" – Price and Cunningham
- "Hasa Diga Eebowai" (in English, "Fuck you, God") – Mafala, Price, Cunningham and Ugandans
- "Turn It Off" – McKinley and Missionaries
- "All American Prophet" – Price, Cunningham, Joseph Smith, Angel Moroni and Company
- "Sal Tlay Ka Siti" – Nabulungi
- "Man Up" – Cunningham, Nabulungi, Price and Company
- Act II
- "Making Things Up Again" – Cunningham, Cunningham’s Dad, Joseph Smith, Mormon, Moroni and Ugandans
- "Spooky Mormon Hell Dream" – Price and Company
- "I Believe" – Price
- "Baptize Me" – Cunningham, Nabulungi
- "I Am Africa" – McKinley, Missionaries and Ugandans
- "Joseph Smith American Moses" – Nabulungi and Ugandans
- "Tomorrow Is a Latter Day" – Price, McKinley, Cunningham, Nabulungi and Company
- "Hello" (Reprise) – Company
Characters and original Broadway cast
| Character | Description | Original Broadway Cast[8] |
|---|---|---|
| A Mormon missionary sent to Uganda, though he wishes to go to Orlando instead. | ||
| Another missionary also sent there. He often weaves characters from Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings into his teachings. | ||
| The leader of the African tribe. | ||
| A tribe member who dreams of moving to Salt Lake City. | ||
| One of the lead Mormon elders, he is secretly homosexual but in denial of his feelings. |
Productions
Broadway (2011-)
The Book of Mormon premiered on Broadway at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre on March 24, 2011, following previews from February 24.[9][10] The production is choreographed by Casey Nicholaw and co-directed by Nicholaw and Parker. Set design is by Scott Pask, costumes are by Ann Roth, lighting by Brian MacDevitt, and sound by Brian Ronan. Orchestrations are co-created by Larry Hochman and the show's musical director and vocal arranger Stephen Oremus.[8] The cast stars Andrew Rannells as Elder Price and Josh Gad as Elder Cunningham.[8] The show's creators described the show as "an atheist's love letter to religion."[11]
Counterfeit tickets
On April 25, 2011, the Broadway producers confirmed that "counterfeit tickets to the Broadway production had been sold to and presented by theatergoers on at least five different occasions in recent weeks." An article in The New York Times reported, "In each case, the tickets were purchased on Craigslist, and while a single seller is suspected, the ticket purchases have taken place in different locations each time. ... [T]he production’s management and Jujamcyn Theaters, which operates the O’Neill, had notified the New York Police Department".[12]
Tony Awards
The Book of Mormon received fourteen nominations, including nominations for Best Musical and its performers Josh Gad, Andrew Rannells, Nikki M James and Rory O'Malley.
Reception
The Book of Mormon received critical acclaim, mostly praising the plot, score, and choreography.[13] Vogue Magazine called the show "the filthiest, most offensive, and—surprise—sweetest thing you’ll see on Broadway this year, and quite possibly the funniest musical ever."[14] The New York Post reported that audience members were "sore from laughing so hard". It praised the score, calling it "tuneful and very funny," and added that "the show has heart. It makes fun of organized religion, but the two Mormons are real people, not caricatures."[15]
Ben Brantley of The New York Times, compared the show favorably to Rodgers and Hammerstein's The King and I but "rather than dealing with tyrannical, charismatic men with way too many children, our heroes… must confront a one-eyed, genocidal warlord with an unprintable name…. That’s enough to test the faith of even the most optimistic gospel spreaders (not to mention songwriters). Yet in setting these dark elements to sunny melodies, The Book of Mormon achieves something like a miracle. It both makes fun of and ardently embraces the all-American art form of the inspirational book musical. No Broadway show has so successfully had it both ways since Mel Brooks adapted his film The Producers for the stage a decade ago."[16]
Charles McNulty of the Los Angeles Times praised the music, and states: "The songs, often inspired lampoons of contemporary Broadway styles, are as catchy as they are clever." McNulty concludes by stating "Sure it’s crass, but the show is not without good intentions and, in any case, vindicates itself with musical panache."[17] Peter Marks of the Washington Post wrote "The marvel of 'The Book of Mormon' is that even as it profanes some serious articles of faith, its spirit is anything but mean. The ardently devout and comedically challenged are sure to disagree. Anyone else should excitedly approach the altar of Parker, Stone and Lopez and expect to drink from a cup of some of the sweetest poison ever poured." Marks further describes the musical is "one of the most joyously acidic bundles Broadway has unwrapped in years."[18]
However, The Wall Street Journal's Terry Teachout called the show "slick and smutty. The Book of Mormon is the first musical to open on Broadway since La Cage aux Folles that has the smell of a send-in-the-tourists hit… The amateurish part relates mostly to the score, which is jointly credited to the three co-creators and is no better than what you might hear at a junior-varsity college show. The tunes are jingly-jangly, the lyrics embarrassingly ill-crafted."[19]
The response of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to the musical has been described as "measured".[20] The church released an official response to inquiries regarding the musical, stating, "The production may attempt to entertain audiences for an evening, but the Book of Mormon as a volume of scripture will change people's lives forever by bringing them closer to Christ."[21] Michael Otterson, the head of Public Affairs for the church, followed on April 2011 with measured criticism. "Of course, parody isn't reality, and it's the very distortion that makes it appealing and often funny. The danger is not when people laugh but when they take it seriously—if they leave a theater believing that Mormons really do live in some kind of a surreal world of self-deception and illusion," Otterson wrote, outlining various humanitarian efforts achieved by Mormon missionaries in Africa in recent years.[22][23]
Recordings
An original Broadway cast recording is expected to be released by Ghostlight Records. It will be available for download in digital outlets on May 17, 2011, prior to an official release in stores on June 7, 2011.[24]
Radio special
"The Book of Mormon Radio" was broadcast on Sirius XM Radio on April 2, 2011. The radio special features interviews from creators Parker, Stone, Lopez, and Nicholaw, and cast members Gad, Rannells, James, O'Malley, and Potts. The special was re-broadcast on the same channel April 3, 2011.[25]
Awards and nominations
- Distinguished Production of a Musical (pending)
- Distinguished Performance: Josh Gad (pending)
- Distinguished Performance: Andrew Rannells (pending)
- Outstanding New Broadway Musical (pending)
- Outstanding New Score (pending)
- Outstanding Director of a Musical: Casey Nicholaw and Trey Parker (pending)
- Outstanding Choreographer: Casey Nicholaw (pending)
- Outstanding Actor in a Musical: Josh Gad (pending)
- Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical: Nikki M. James (pending)
- Outstanding Musical (pending)
- Outstanding Music (pending)
- Outstanding Lyrics (pending)
- Outstanding Book of a Musical (pending)
- Outstanding Actor in a Musical: Andrew Rannells (pending)
- Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical: Rory O'Malley (pending)
- Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical: Nikki M. James (pending)
- Outstanding Director of a Musical: Casey Nicholaw and Trey Parker (pending)
- Outstanding Choreography: Casey Nicholaw (pending)
- Outstanding Orchestrations: Larry Hochman and Stephen Oremus (pending)
- Outstanding Costume Design: Ann Roth (pending)
- Outstanding Sound Design in a Musical: Brian Ronan (pending)
- 2011 Tony Awards[29]
- Best Musical (pending)
- Best Book of a Musical: Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone (pending)
- Best Original Score: Music & Lyrics: Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone (pending)
- Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical: Josh Gad (pending)
- Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical: Andrew Rannells (pending)
- Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical: Rory O'Malley (pending)
- Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical: Nikki M James (pending)
- Best Scenic Design of a Musical: Scott Pask (pending)
- Best Costume Design of a Musical: Ann Roth (pending)
- Best Lighting Design of a Musical: Brian MacDevitt (pending)
- Best Sound Design of a Musical: Brian Ronan (pending)
- Best Direction of a Musical: Casey Nicholaw and Trey Parker (pending)
- Best Choreography: Casey Nicholaw (pending)
- Best Orchestrations: Larry Hochman and Stephen Oremus (pending)
See also
References
- ^ "'South Park' creators' musical comedy 'Book of Mormon' gets Broadway dates". Los Angeles Times. 13 September 2010. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Michael Riedel, "Just 'Park' it here: Cartoon duo write Mormon musical", New York Post, 2010-04-14.
- ^ a b c Zoglin, Richard. "Bigger, Live and Uncut", Time magazine, March 28, 2011, pp. 70–72
- ^ Itzkoff, Dave (14 April 2010). "'South Park' and 'Avenue Q' Guys Bringing 'Book of Mormon' to Broadway". New York Times. Retrieved 14 April 2010.
- ^ Gardener, Elysa. "'South Park' duo goes Broadway: 'Mormon' is a 'pro-faith musical'". Stage. USA Today. February 21, 2011. Accessed 23 February 2011.
- ^ a b Adams, Guy (2008-11-19), "Mormons to get 'South Park' treatment", The Independent
- ^ Andrew Gans, Musical by South Park-Avenue Q Creators Aiming for Broadway in 2011, Playbill, 2010-04-14
- ^ a b c "'The Book Of Mormon' Cast Announced!", broadwayworld.com, 2010-11-17
- ^ Stack, Peggy Fletcher (February 25, 2011). "'Book of Mormon' musical called surprisingly sweet". The Salt Lake Tribune.
- ^ "'The Book Of Mormon' to Open at Eugene O'Neill 3/24; Previews 2/24", broadwayworld.com, 2010-09-13
- ^ "Literature that moves beyond stereotypes of the latter day saints" Boston.com, March 20, 2011
- ^ Itzkoff, David. "Heavens! Fake Tickets Showing Up at 'Book of Mormon' on Broadway". nytimes.com. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
- ^ "Broadway Review Roundup: THE BOOK OF MORMON". BroadwayWorld.com. March 25, 2011. Retrieved March 27, 2011.
- ^ Green, Adam. "Get Cheeky". Vogue.
- ^ Rediel, Michael. "Sure to offend and succeed". The New York Post, September 3, 2010.
- ^ Ben Brantley (24 March 2011). "Missionary Men With Confidence in Sunshine". New York Times. Retrieved 24 March 2011.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|work=(help) - ^ McNulty, Charles.Theater review: 'The Book of Mormon' at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Los Angeles Times, March 2011
- ^ Marks, Peter."Review of Broadway’s 'The Book of Mormon'" Washington Post, March 24, 2011
- ^ Teachout, Terry (March 25, 2011). "Everybody but Muhammad". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 27 March 2011.
- ^ Sean P. Means, "Testing Mormons’ tolerance for mockery", Salt Lake Tribune, 2011-02-22.
- ^ "Church Statement Regarding The Book of Mormon Musical". LDS Church. 7 February 2011. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
- ^ Taylor, Scott (April 15, 2011). "Mormon PR leader: 'Why I won't be seeing the Book of Mormon musical'". Deseret News.
- ^ Otterson, Michael (April 14, 2011). "Why I won't be seeing the Book of Mormon musical". Washington Post.
- ^ [1]
- ^ "Book of Mormon Radio Special to Air on SiriusXM Radio April 2", playbill.com, April 2, 2011.
- ^ Gans, Andrew (April 25, 2011). "Book of Mormon, Priscilla, Sister Act, War Horse, Good People and More Are Drama League Nominees". Playbill.com. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
- ^ Gans, Andrew."Outer Critics Circle Nominees Include 'Sister Act', 'Anything Goes', 'Book of Mormon' " playbill.com, April 26, 2011
- ^ Andrew, Gans. "56th Annual Drama Desk Nominations Announced; Book of Mormon Scores 12 Nominations", playbill.com, April 29, 2011.
- ^ "Who's Nominated? - All Categories". tonyawards.com. May 3, 2011. Retrieved 03 May 2011.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help)