What Made The Book of Mormon the Musical of the Year?

“The Book of Mormon” is the Tony Award-winning musical developed by the creators of the animated comedy “South Park,” Trey Parker and Matt Stone, along with artist Robert Lopez and director Casey Nicholaw. It’s an irreverent story about two Mormon missionaries in Uganda, and it riffs on some of the most difficult issues of our day, ranging from religion to warmongering to poverty to disease. After seven years of development, this show full of satire, profanity, song and dance opened in 2011 to critical acclaim. So, what is it about this show that makes it the musical of the year?

Seven Years in Production

One reason this musical is so successful is that it was written, edited and refined over seven years. Parker, Stone and Lopez wrote the dialogue and lyrics for the musical after visiting Salt Lake City where they talked to Mormons about how they viewed missionary work. Then, they refined the play in workshops and added an experienced director and choreographer to the team. The music is original and the story follows the style of other famous musicals like “The Sound of Music” and “The King and I.”

Legendary Music

“The Book of Mormon” music went to the top of the charts as soon as it was released. Billboard reports that it was the highest-charting Broadway cast album since “Hair” in 1969 and that it was the fastest selling digital release ever. “The Book of Mormon” sold 61,000 recordings the week it won the Tony Awards in 2011.

So, why is the music so popular? It may be because the songs give the audience a mini lesson in the Mormon faith along with a wonderful melody and acting. The songs lightheartedly mock the Mormon religion while also teaching. Many people are intrigued by the controversial information about the religion, such as the Garden of Eden being in Missouri or the policy forbidding black Mormon’s from becoming ordained priests. The Guardian's features writer Hadley Freeman describes the music as “catch, catty and scatological.” No matter what it is, the audience comes away humming show tunes and knowing more about the Mormon faith.

Best Reviews

The show won nine Tony Awards in 2011 including best musical, best book, best direction of a musical, best score, best featured actress and four technical awards for best orchestration, sound design, scenic design of a musical score and book of a musical. Online ticket sites like Telecharge cite outstanding reviews by The New York Times, The Washington Post and Entertainment Weekly. They proclaim the show is “the best musical of this century,” “the kind of evening that restores your faith in musicals,” and “Grade A,” respectively.

These rave reviews came about because the story balances cheerful music with dark topics like poverty and AIDS. Critics describe the show as irreverent but not mean-spirited, with great music and great comedy, superb choreography and costumes that put it on par with the great Broadway showstoppers. All of this attention and hype has allowed “The Book of Mormon” to remain at the top of the list of successful Broadway shows.

What Made The Book of Mormon The Musical of the Year