While on Spring Break, I was able to buy standing-room tickets to see Book of Mormon. I entered into the production not having read up on it, despite its acclaim. From the the title I could assume it was clearly about Mormons, and because my mother is Mormon I know a little bit about the religion. With my little knowledge I was curious about how a musical would speak about these complex issues.
The musical was incredibly smart, and I enjoyed it a great deal. Since the performance I have gone back and read up on what it took to get Book of Mormon to broadway. I stumbled upon this wonderful interview with Nikki M. James, where she speaks about her first reactions to the script. At first read, she was taken by the subject matters, and nervous about how the musical would be received. The piece was developed confidentially, and the all the actors had to sign contracts so that they wouldn’t leak any material.
As someone who watches South Park, I loved the humor. I was surprised that I found myself laughing at subjects that I otherwise would’ve been appalled by–particularly during the song Hasa Diga Eebowa, which means “fuck you God.”
The show has been running for quite some time, and has been incredibly successful. Overall I was impressed by the production, and the writing.
