Trey Parker and Matt Stone (“South Park”) and Robert Lopez (“Avenue Q”) have combined their creative powers in the new Broadway musical “The Book of Mormon.” The politically incorrect, button-pushing production opened March 24 at the Eugene O’Neil Theatre to widespread critical accolades.
The new tuner is co-directed by Parker and Casey Nicholaw, who is also credited for choreography. The action follows two young Mormons, Elder Price (Andrew Rannells) and Elder Cunningham (Josh Gad) on a missionary trip to Uganda. Not all goes according to plan, as the duo deals with a tyrannical warlord and a village filled with less-than-willing would-be converts.
Other leads include Nikki M. James as Nabulungi, a girl from the village and the Mormons’ first convert, and Rory O’Malley as Elder McKinley, the Mormon head of the mission. An ensemble cast of Mormons and villagers rounds out the accolade-earning production.
The open-ended production began preview performances February 24. Regular ticket prices range from $69 to $127; premium seats are also available and are currently priced from $137 to $277. During the past two weeks, audiences at the 1,066-seat O’Neill have been at 101- and 102-percent capacity. The tuner has earned a four-week total gross of $2,337,675, according to the Broadway League.
“The Book of Mormon” is two-and-a-half hours long, including a 15-minute intermission. Beginning today, March 28, the production will be staged Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday at 7 p.m.; and Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m.; with matinees on Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m.
The musical’s schedule will change again on May 30, with evening shows then running Tuesday through Thursday at 7 p.m., and Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. The matinee schedule will also adjust to 3 p.m. on Friday and Sunday, and 2 p.m. on Saurday.
Eugene O’Neill Theatre is located at 230 West 49th street in New York, NY. More details about “The Book of Mormon” can be found on the production’s official Web site.
Opening Night: “The Book of Mormon”
| Publication | Critic | Review |
| Variety | Steve Suskin | “Raucously funny… Every song enhances the hilarity, expert staging heightens every gag, and the cast of fresh faces is blissfully good.” |
| New York Times | Ben Brantley | “…Blasphemous, scurrilous and more foul-mouthed than David Mamet on a blue streak. But trust me when I tell you that its heart is as pure as that of a Rodgers and Hammerstein show.” |
| TheaterMania | Dan Bacalzo | “…more likely to inspire laughter than outrage…” |
| Hollywood Reporter | David Rooney | “Gad…may be giving the single funniest, most endearing performance on Broadway.” |
| The Wall Street Journal | Terry Teachout | “Flabby, amateurish and very, very safe.” |
| New York Daily News | Joe Dziemianowicz | “Nikki M. James is so radiant as Nabulungi…you wish you could wrap your arms around her and protect her from harm.” |
