Well, if you saw the “Broadway Bro Down” episode of South Park then you are probably very excited to see a Broadway play this season. It’s as much fun for guys as it is for girls! And that’s just the South Park brand of humor you can expect when you go to see Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s ode to Mormonism in The Book of Mormon.

A small curiosity for you: The “Broadway Bro Down” (probably the greatest anti-commercial for a musical Comedy Central has ever aired) was actually co-written by Robert Lopez, a Broadway veteran who also worked on Avenue Q (another foul-mouthed singing satire) and The Book of Mormon.

Lopez is also no stranger to mainstream success. The Book of Mormon and Avenue Q, both of which he won Tony Awards for, were scored and partly written by him. The Book of Mormon, despite its edginess, was actually a big Tony Award winner last year and took home several awards including Best Musical, Best Book and Best Original Score.

The Book of Mormon is not just a two-hour South Park episode with music. It is a satire on all organized religion following the adventures of two Mormon missionaries sent to a remote village in Uganda. Coming from US roots, they immediately have problems identifying with the locals who face issues of war, famine, poverty and AIDS.

Since the play took seven years to develop, it’s safe to assume Parker and Stone probably got musical fever as early as the big South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut movie, which featured several Broadway-worthy moments. (Including the song, “Blame Canada”, which was actually nominated and performed at the Academy Awards)

You may be surprised to learn that Stone and Parker are not as liberal-minded as it might appear. Sure, they are vulgar and purposely offensive, but they actually do find Mormons “fascinating” and both have confessed that they are not liberal, nor necessarily atheistic. How are their personalities manifested on stage and in song? The unique voice does come through, and like the South Park show, it is full of offensive humor, deep questions and a bit of silliness.

If you can only see one musical this year then go down and see The Book of Mormon, featuring the most creative minds on television and on Broadway.

This entry was posted on Friday, November 16th, 2012 at 6:56 pm and is filed under Theater. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.