It was overcoat, gloves and scarf weather in New York City last night. The skies were clear, but the 25-degree weather was cold! Yet, the streets of Broadway were filled with theater fans that hurriedly walked to the theater to see one of the many shows playing on “The Great White Way.”
The biggest hit on Broadway this season is “The Book of Mormon”, written by Matt Parker and Trey Stone of South Park fame. “Mormon” won the most Tony Awards (nine), has the highest ticket price of any Broadway show ($487.25) and is sold out for months.
Joining Parker and Stone is the distinguished Broadway composer Robert Lopez. Through the talent of these men, The Book of Mormon has quickly become one of the standout live musical hits of the decade.
Premiering back on March 24, 2011, the production has received major critical praise for an excellent plot, choreography and score. In the summer of 2011, the production garnered the highest critical praise by winning nine Tony Awards, including best musical, best original score, best lighting and best sound among other categories.
The Book of Mormon tells the story of two young Mormon missionaries sent to a remote village in Northern Uganda where a brutal warlord is threatening the local population. Naïve and optimistic, the two missionaries try to share their scriptures which, by the way, only one of them knows very well. They have trouble connecting with the locals who are worried about famine, poverty, and AIDS.
The professional reviews have been great:
“the funniest show I’ve ever seen, by far” (Entertainment Weekly) and “so good it makes me angry” (Jon Stewart, The Daily Show). The Book of Mormon follows a pair of mismatched Mormon boys sent on a mission to a place that’s about as far from Salt Lake City as you can get. Described by Lynn Hirschberg of W Magazine as “a landmark…an authentic great American musical” and by Ira Glass of This American Life as “making the audience insane with joy,” see it now or find yourself asking, “Dear God, how do I get tickets?” (Village Voice). Contains explicit language.
The musical is scheduled to continue to run on Broadway at the Eugene O’Neill theatre at 230 West 49th Street in New York. Tickets are currently on sale through November 2012.
Too bad you didn’t have a chance to see the show last night. It was rumored that a tall, handsome and talented entertainer enjoyed The Book of Mormon last night!