My wife and I (both exmos) saw the Book of Mormon play along with another couple who are nevermos. We all agreed it was the best musical we have ever seen, regardless of the topic. The songs were fantastic and flowed seamlessly into the play. The word on Broadway is that it will get the Tony for the best musical, hands down.

It is hilarious! My wife and I laughed until we cried and our ribs hurt. My nevermo friends were laughing hysterically too, and surprisingly, at most of the same parts.

The cast includes some big names: Joseph, Brigham, Mormon, Moroni, the Nephities and Lamanites all made appearances.

I was really surprised at how much the audience liked the storyline and jokes. There were so many things uniquely Mormon that I assumed most of audience wouldn't get many of the jokes, but they were laughing like they were all exmos.

"I believe that the garden of Eden was in Jackson County Missouri" and "I am going to get my own planet someday" got huge laughs.

The response from the audience and popularity of this play show that the rest of the world knows more about Mormon doctrine and history than I had imagined. And, even better, they think it's funny and entertaining. God works in mysterious ways. The story of the restoration is spreading all across the globe, just like the Morg wanted.

The play is scheduled to go on the road in Dec. of 2012 (starting in Denver), and it will be duplicated in London, also in 2012. Get ready everyone -- it's coming to a theater near you.

Finally, the South Park guys showed underserved restraint towards the Morg. They went especially easy on Joseph Smith. The Morg should be happy it's not worse.

And, yes, there was a scene showing the sacred underwear in all its glory.

saying one believes the Garden of Eden was in Jackson County or believing that one day you'll have your own planet does sound really silly even to someone who knows nothing of Mormonism.

I truly hope the musical takes at least one Tony Award. That would be a real slap in the Morg face, wouldn't it?

When I saw it 2 weeks ago (I had to wait in the cancellation line) the box office was telling ticket buyers that it was sold out through September. If you're in the greater NY area, you can enter into a drawing for a free performance on Friday, July first. I have every intention of seeing it again.

Glad to see it didn't bomb like the September Dawn movie.

Buying the CD this week.

I know that your review is true.

Mormons 'just don't know' how ridiculous their beliefs are to others... until

until Just Before they change them!

Glad you enjoyed it!

I heard about The Book of Mormon Play on NPR when Terry Gross interviewed Matt Stone and Trey Parker on Fresh Air...

The excerpts were HILARIOUS and I've been hoping someone would see it and check in and share. THANK YOU! So glad you enjoyed it!

I can't wait to see it myself...

Here is the link to the 46 minute interview, you can listen to online. It is very enlightening... can you imagine it being anything but... after all IT IS The Book of Mormon. :-)

http://www.npr.org/2011/05/19/136142322/book-of-mormon-creators-on-their-broadway-smash

Check it out! SO MUCH FUN!!!

A Musing Grace

I can't wait to see it when it finally makes its way to California!

What I want to know is:

Is it going to help stop Mormonism?

Or, is it just more publicity for the cult. Innocent curiosity can cause people to fall into the clutches of eager, well-trained, flesh-eating LDS missionaries.

Laughing at Mormonism does help us heal--but, on the downside, this laughter might relax people, so they let down their guard, and begin to feel that the cult is harmless.

"Going easy" on a polygamous pedophile does not sit well with me, as a woman and mother. IMO, this play is worse than plays that glorify gangsters, or serial killers, or prostitutes. Meh. Different strokes for different folks.

Thanks for the review, because I appreciate knowing without going.

I'm a cheapskate when it comes to wasting any more money and time on anything Mormon. (Unless it's anti-Mormon.)



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/06/2011 08:46PM by motherwhoknows.

And what's more, missionaries are neither well trained nor flesh eating. They are kids, often smug, often naive.

When I saw the musical, it was extremely hard for me to judge how well it would be received, because my own reaction was hugely biased by that fact that this was a broadway musical ABOUT MY LIFE. There were a few clunkers in the script, but most of it was dead on. The writers knew their Mormon culture. I found it hugely exhilarating, painful, and funny. It tap-danced on all manner of Mormon trigger-points. That, IMO, rendered me totally unqualified to judge the musical objectively. That would have to be left to others.

I don't know if nevermos are getting the same thing from the musical as I did. Apparently they are, or they are getting something similar from it.

I don't think you will need to worry about people thinking Mormonism is an appealing lifestyle because of this musical. Portraying a belief system as bats**t crazy is not a good sales technique.

I, of course, have not seen the play, but the NPR interview was very good and goes through the process and motivation of the writers and why they handled the project the way they did. They even talk about TSCC "official" response to the play which is also quite entertaining. I thought perhaps one or both of the writers were ex-mos, but they are not... One of them had a serious Mormon girlfriend and spent enough time at her home to see how nuts it was.

He based his "About the Mormons" South Park episode on that experience. (If you have not seen it, it is great...)

I found the writers approach and feelings towards Mormons and religion refreshing... you don't have to be a hater to fight something. They are very positive in their approach and still get the job done in a genius manner.

The play will not promote Mormonism at all, even though they are not attacking it full on. It is not a smack down directly... not a negative thing... they didn't want to do that.

This sort of play getting lots of news, and having Mormons run for public office makes people more curious in a good way... in a way that causes them to get online and find out the real story behind the church... and we all know what can happen when you begin to do a little internet research. heh heh :-)

A Musing Grace

HOW did you get tickets?! I will be in NYC in Aug but it's saying the show is totally sold out through the summer :(

Can anyone hook me up PLEASE?!

Either wait in the cancellation line (box office sells tickets that people canceled for that night's performance starting about 2:30-3:00. Very limited choice and you will be paying full price--which can be several hundred dollars depending on where the seats are. Or you can try the ticket lottery. From the website:
Ticket Lottery

A limited number of tickets for each performance will be sold through the lottery. Entries will be accepted at the box office beginning two and a half hours prior to each performance for up to two tickets.

Two hours before curtain, names will be drawn at random for a limited number of tickets priced at $32 each. Only one entry is allowed per person. Cards are checked for duplication prior to drawing. Winners must be present at the time of the drawing and show valid ID to purchase tickets. Limit one entry per person and two tickets per winner. Tickets may be purchased in cash or with a valid credit card. Tickets are subject to availability.

I'm watching ticket sales to see when May and June open up. Sooooo looking forward to it!

TG

I just bought tickets for September. After doing a lot of research, I found the official ticket-selling agency, Telecharge, and called them directly. By "official" I mean this is the ticket selling agency authorized by and working for the Eugene O'Neill theater.

Do NOT use any other ticket sellers that come up online. They are scalpers.

Telecharge's phone number is 212-239-6200 or 800-447-7400.

The first thing you will be told is that the tickets are sold out. What they mean by that is that there are only single tickets available at face value price. You can buy single tickets at face value price but you will not be sitting together with whomever you are going.

You can choose to pay for seats that are side by side but they cost considerably more.

(Clearly, because it can, the Theater is manipulating the price by declaring the play sold out and by defining sold out as: you can have a ticket at face value but we are going to make it a single seat.)

Tickets in the Orchestra have a face value of something like $167. Those are the single seats. I paid $250 each to purchase side by side tickets.

I live in Southern California. I have a Brooklyn NY sister-in-law who offered to go to the ticket office and get tickets for me. When I was talking to the Telecharge guy, I asked him if my sister-in-law would get the same price and tickets at the Box Office that I was about to purchase over the phone. He said yes. There is a small service charge for each ticket. The reason for mentioning this is to underscore that Telecharge is not gouging or throwing on huge extra fees the way some of the other sites were that I checked out.

I think there may be tickets available for performances in the close future. At least, when I went online at first looking for tickets, there were tickets available for performances that evening.

I am really excited that I get to see this musical. Actually, I am ecstatic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPfJYEL5mSg

EXTREMELY positive review... you've got to hear it from him!

I know it's crazy, but I LIKE discussions about religion. I like to be able to find out about other people's epistological views, the whole time trying to not let my Empirical mind yell so loudly that I don't remember what was discussed. I call myself an agnostic, following the idea that "Agnosticism is the view that the truth value of certain claims—especially claims about the existence or non-existence of any deity, but also other religious and metaphysical claims—is unknown or unknowable."
That's what The Book of Mormon is doing; asking metaphysical questions in the face of the awefulness and randomness of life and laughing about it without descending into nihilism. Good for them. We all should be able to laugh at ourselves.
I've been a fan of South Park since it's start, and The Book of Mormon is like a longer episode with better production values. Too bad you can't see it on TV... yet.
If you want to see the show for yourself, and I think you should, tickets can be found at http://amazonticketsonline.com/The-Book-Of-Mormon for the Eugene O'Neill Theater production in New York.