Why See The Book Of Mormon?

Trey Parker, one half of the creative duo behind the show South Park, admits to always wanting to make a musical that opens on Broadway. The Book of Mormon is the realization of that dream with the help of Trey Parker, his partner in South Park and lifelong friend, and Robert Lopez, the composer for the Broadway hit Avenue Q.

The show has a lot of fart jokes and other adult humor. It has drawn the ire of the Broadway elite and the Mormon Church alike. It’s seen by some as sacrilegious and profane and others as beneath the standards of The Great White Way. Steve Densley, Jr. of the website Fairblog.org – Defending Mormonism writes “…Having (seen the play), I wonder if there is anything so profane and vulgar that has ever played on Broadway. Critics seem to acknowledge the highly offensive nature of the musical, but dismiss it on the basis that it was written by the creators of 'South Park'…” Many more in the community see it as a breath of fresh air, however. Valerie Frankel of The Huffington Post says: "Is it as subversive as 'South Park'? Unequivocally, 'The Book of Mormon' is pee-in-pants funny, outrageous, shocking, which you'd expect. What you might not have seen coming are energetic and elaborate dancing, catchy tunes, insight into the nature of faith and the American hubris of spreading our brand of magic and lies all over the globe." The problem is it’s funny; really funny. The average audience member doesn’t mind the nature of the jokes. They laugh and enjoy it for what it is. It is no surprise that The Book of Mormon tickets are sold out.

All over the web and in newspapers, people have called for (i.e. begged) a movie version, and the creators have said there will be one in production. “Eventually,” they say with a grin. The show is still setting records for box office draw. They are not in any hurry to make a movie version.

Parker and Stone met in film school and very quickly they built a reputation for making very funny animations that didn’t pay any attention to conventions of political correctness. One of their early animations was called “Jesus vs. Santa Claus”. It tells the story of the time when Jesus came down from heaven to do battle with Santa over whether or not Christmas was about the birth of Christ or about giving gifts. During the action, the children who watch the fight argue with each other making fart jokes and calling each other names and racial slurs. The children end up asking “What would Brian Boitano do?”, then chastises Christ and Santa, who shake hands and decide to go get smoothies.

The two filmmakers have always had an interest in "the musical" as a form, however, and this is seen in many of their other works, including "Cannibal! The Musical!" and "South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut", the latter of which was nominated for an Oscar for the song "Blame Canada!"