The Book of Mormon

Quick Synopsis

Act I

The show opens with Elder Price and his classmates training at the LDS Church Missionary Training Centre, rehearsing for their upcoming mission trip, which he prays is Orlando. He is paired with nerdy companion and sent instead to Uganda. His hope to change the world is challenged as they are robbed upon entering the country by a local warlord.

They are quickly introduced to the villagers and the poverty, famine, and AIDS that plague the people, and start to discover they might be in over their heads. Nabulungi, the daughter of the village chief, introduces them to the other failed missionaries who try to help Price and Cunningham deal with feelings of failure.

Price heads back into the village determined to succeed, and sings about Joseph Smith, which only annoys the villagers. The General orders all women to have a painful procedure by the end of the week. Price is finally discouraged enough to request a transfer to Orlando, and turns his back on Cunningham. Nabulungi comforts Cunningham and asks to learn more about the Book of Mormon.

Cliffhanger Before Intermission

Will Price leave Uganda and his mission partner?

Will the General be allowed to do such horrible things to the women in the village?

Can Cunningham survive without Price?

Why Is It Successful and Popular?

• Original story (not a jukebox musical)
• Comedy
• It plays on many different levels
• Even though subject matter appears absurd, rooted in classic musical theater tradition
• Genuinely good hearted story
• South Park fanbase plus former Tony success (Lopez with Avenue Q) doesn't hurt

Joseph Smith American Moses

Nabulungi and the villagers perform a play "honoring" the story of Joseph Smith as embellished by Elder Cunningham for the Mission President and Mormon leaders.

Inspired by: Small House of Uncle Thomas (The King and I)

Tuptim and the King's wives perform a play of "Uncle Tom's Cabin" for dignitaries of England who have come to Siam on a diplomatic trip from their point of view and understanding

Hasa Diga Eebowai

Elder Price and Elder Cunningham meet the village residents, and learn of a saying they use to help them cope with their sad and hard lives (but has serious conflicts with the Mormon faith!)

Traditional Theater

Rules

What Makes Good Comedy

Inspired by: Hakuna Matata (The Lion King)

Timon and Pumbaa comfort young Simba and teach them a phrase that helps them not care about their hardships

The writers took important plots events in the story and musicalized them. These points are elevated in humor due to the subtext they are performed with. We laugh when we make a connection to a previous song or experience.

The All-American Prophet

• Referential
• Makes connections in uncommon ways
• Character and situation

Elder Price gathers the villagers together and attempts to wind them up and energize them about becoming Mormon while Elder Cunningham shills.

Inspired by: "Trouble" (The Music Man)

Professor Harold Hill (a con man) winds up the citizens of River City in an attempt to sell band instruments and uniforms.

**With a Joseph and Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat ....Donny Osmond flair...

Emotional Progression

• Talking
• Singing (each verse getting larger in subject that previous)
• Dancing (so emotional, can not talk, have to move)

You and Me (But Mostly Me)

Elder Price sings about how he is going to change the world as he finally sets off on his mission with his mission companion

"Turn It Off"

Dialogue of scene leads to singing, which leads to tap dance

Inspired by: The Wizard and I (Wicked)

Elphaba sings about how her life is going to change in anticipation of finally meeting the Wizard

Act II

Sal Tlay Ka Siti

(Salt Lake City)

Nabulungi (the chief's daughter) sings about the magical place described by Price

Traditional Theater

Rules

Inspired by:

Somewhere That's Green - Little Shop of Horrors

Audrey sings of a better life somewhere far from Skid Row

Opening song introduces primary characters sets tone for the rest of the show,

Hello!

Opening song, meet Elder Price and Elder Cunningham, show them rehearsing their pitch speeches

"Hello" starts with the lead, Elder Price, and introduces Elder Cunningham's character with the first couple of words he says.

Cunningham is now in charge and embellishes the true story so as to relate to the people. Price thinks back to a nightmare as a kid when he disobeyed, and decides to return and confront the General. Cunningham begins baptising villagers as they begin to accept the Mormons. Cunningham tells Price they have to pretend to be working together because the Mormon President is coming. Nabulungi and villagers perform a re-enactment of distorted and embellished story they heard from Cunningham, which appalls the President, telling the villagers they are not real Mormons. Nabulungi briefly turns on the pair for lying, but is convinced the stories are good as metaphors by the villagers, and they together drive out the General. They all talk about "The Book of Arnold", and decide to make the world a better place.

The Plot

Inspired by:

"The Telephone Song" - Cabaret

Members of the Kit Kat Klub call customers for dances and drinks

Two young Mormon Missionaries are sent to Uganda on their mission trip to spread the faith to Africans.

The Book of Mormon

or

How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love the Musical

Layers...

I Believe

Elder Price convinces himself that he can complete his mission and removes all self doubt, doubling down on his faith.

Inspired by:

I Have Confidence (The Sound of Music)

Maria convinces herself that she can tackle the challenge of caring for 7 children

What Do They Have In Common?

Original Featured Performers

Elder Price

Elder Cunningham

Andrew Rannells

Josh Gad

The New Normal

Frozen

Creators

You Got To Dig Deep!

Into the Layers

The Surface:

Common Attitudes of Those Who Only Know of the Show

1920-1940, 1940-1955, 1955 - Songs

Trey Parker and Matt Stone

Robert Lopez

• Classical Broadway structure
• Social commentary
• Tribute to classic shows which form the pillars of Broadway
• Coming of age story
• Fish-out-of-water story
• Classic romantic subplot

• Absurdity
• Vulgarity
• Religion mocking

Lyrics Compared to Early Broadway

• Early works from book shows (shows with defined plots and stories) had songs that might originate in a musical (that could have flopped), and re-emerge in a later show of similar or dissimilar plot
• Mid works began to see the songs crafted for more specific dramatic purposes, usually with musical openings that helped segue from scene to song
• Later works weave scene and song so closely together, that often the musical opening is not needed and the song begins into a classic verse-refrain structure
• The extreme specificity of situation has been one cause of these songs not becoming Top 100 songs as they were in the past
• Book of Mormon uses the later works style

14 Tony Award Nominations

(2011)

2011 Best Musica (winner)

Book of a Musical (winner)

Score (Music and/or Lyrics) (winner)

Actor (Musical)Nominees:Josh Gad, Andrew Rannells

2011 Actor (Featured Role--Musical)Nominees:Rory O'Malley, The Book of Mormon

2011 Actress (Featured Role--Musical)Winner - Nikki M. James, The Book of Mormon

Scenic Design (Musical)(winner)

Costume Design (Musical)

Lighting Design (Musical)(winner)

Sound Design (Musical) (winner)

Director (Musical)(winner)

Choreographer

Orchestrations (winner)

You're The Top

(Anything Goes, 1934)

Cole Porter

At words poetic, I'm so pathetic

That I always have found it best,

Instead of getting 'em off my chest,

To let 'em rest unexpressed,

I hate parading my serenading

As I'll probably miss a bar,

But if this ditty is not so pretty

At least it'll tell you

How great you are.

You're the top!

You're the Coliseum.

You're the top!

You're the Louver Museum.

You're a melody from a symphony by Strauss

You're a Bendel bonnet,

A Shakespeare's sonnet,

You're Mickey Mouse.

You're the Nile,

You're the Tower of Pisa,

You're the smile on the Mona Lisa

I'm a worthless check, a total wreck, a flop,

But if, baby, I'm the bottom you're the top!

Can't Take That Away From Me

(Shall We Dance, 1937)

George Gershwin

Our romance won't end on a sorrowful note

Though by tomoroow you're gone

The song has ended but as the song writer wrote

The melody lingers on

They may take you from me

I'll miss your fond caress

But though they take you from me

I'll still possess

The way you wear your hat

The way you sip your tea

The memory of all that

No no they can't take that away from me

The way your smile just beams

The way you sing off key

The way you changed my life

No no they can't take that away from me

We may never never meet again

On the bumpy read to love

Still I'll always always keep the memory of

The way you hold your knife

The way we danced 'til three

The way you changed my life

No no they can't take that away from me

No they can't take that away from me

You and Me (But Mostly Me)

(The Book of Mormon, 2011)

Lopez, Parker, Stone

I've always had the hope

That on the day I go to Heaven

Heavenly Father will shake my hand

And say, "You've done an awesome job, Kevin"

Now it's our time to go out (My best friend)

And set the world's people free

And we can do it together, you and me

But mostly me

You and me, but mostly me

Are gonna change the world forever

'cause I can do most everything

(And I can stand next to you and watch)

Every hero needs a sidekick

Every captain needs a mate (Aye, Aye)

Every dinner needs a side dish

(On a slightly smaller plate)

And now we're seeing eye to eye

It's so great, we can agree

That Heavenly Father has chosen you and me

Just mostly me

Something incredible

I'll do something incredible

I wanna be the Mormon

Who changed all of mankind

(My best friend)

Something I've foreseen

Now that I'm nineteen

I'll do something incredible

That blows God's freaking mind

Traditonal Theater Rules

Song:

• Occur at highly emotional times, or
• Occur at key plot points, or
• Offer internal monologues

Songs are extremely strong ways to condense ideas into shorter and more concentrated forms (gets the idea over bigger and faster)