What do you get when you cross the comedic out look of the creators of “South Park” with a multiple award winning composer? An “All-American” phenomenon that is sweeping the nation and the world.
“The Book of Mormon” created by South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone has won nine Tony awards, including Best Musical.
Parker and Stone, having written music for episodes of “South Park” as well as the music for the critically acclaimed feature film “South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut,” they are experts when it comes to creating music.
With the addition of Robert Lopez, the youngest person ever to win all the awards in an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony), They would create a sensation that make people say “I Believe.”
The first national tour of “The Book of Mormon” stars Billy Harrigan Tighe as Elder Price, a 19-year-old, devout Mormon being sent on his first mission to Uganda with his mission companion, Elder Cunningham, played by Coby Getzug.
In Uganda, Price’s faith is shaken by the terrible conditions he and his missionaries struggle with as they try to convert people to the Mormon church.
The first national tour played at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa. They are nearing the end of their North American Tour, ending in Honolulu in May, but there will be chances to see other tours through 2017.
Broadway in New York is known as the place to see some of the best stage performances in the world. Making it to Broadway is usually the goal of stage actors wanting to make it big.
Competing with all the shows on Broadway week after week. If the actors can compete with those shows and last on Broadway eventually they have to live up to their own past performances and continue to exceed the audiences expectations.
But being part of a traveling national tour can be even more difficult. Not only are there the same struggles as Broadway, but they have to live up to the hype created by the Broadway run of the show, and not to mention the touring itself.
“The hardest part of the show is touring,” said Tyrone L Robinson, who plays Matumbo in the national tour cast. “Going from a place that’s 80 degrees one day to a place that’s 50 degrees can be a struggle.”
The cast’s hard work and determination to give a great show every day in every city is shown in the energy and fun they have onstage. The vocals were amazing and the cast made the audience feel like every night is their last performance.
“Everybody in the cast knows what a special opportunity they have,” said Robinson.
When the this tour ends, it will find a long term home in Melbourne, Australia. This run will daily performances starting in 2017.
Still successfully performing on Broadway, “The Book of Mormon” has many touring companies as well as a daily show in London.
Tickets still available in most cities go to bookofmormonbroadway.com/tour to find a list of cities.