The Book of Mormon: The Complete Book and Lyrics of the Broadway Musical of Parker, Trey, Lopez, Robert on 05 December 2012

by Robert Lopez

14 Tony Award nominations! The only official companion book to the new Broadway musical from the creators of South Park and the co-creator of Avenue Q . Features the complete script and song lyrics, with 4-color spot illustrations throughout, an original introduction by the creators, and a foreword by Mark Harris. The Book of Mormon , which follows a pair of mismatched Mormon boys sent on a mission to a place that's about as far from Salt Lake City as you can get, features book, music, and lyrics by Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone. Parker and Stone are the four-time Emmy Award–winning creators of Comedy Central's landmark animated series South Park. Tony Award–winner Lopez is co-creator of the long-running hit musical comedy Avenue Q. The Book of Mormon is choreographed by three-time Tony Award–nominee Casey Nicholaw ( Monty Python's Spamalot , The Drowsy Chaperone ) and is directed by Nicholaw and Parker. The book includes an original foreword by journalist Mark Harris (author of Pictures at a Revolution ) an original introduction by the authors on the genesis of the show a production history the complete book and lyrics, with four-color spot illustrations throughout.

Genres: Plays, Theatre, Musicals, Nonfiction, Religion, Music, Humor

Unknown Binding

First published June 7, 2011

About the author

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Reviews

[Malcolm · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Book of Mormon is coming to town in a few months, and I wasn't sure if it was worth shelling out a bunch of money to see, especially since my wife doesn't like crude humor. So, I decided to read the "book" first, paired with the soundtrack. It's interesting how the creators of South Park and Avenue Q influenced each other in a circular fashion, leading to the conception of this musical.

Overall, I appreciated the originality of the story line and how it pokes fun at Mormonism, which is perhaps an easy target, while also having a surprisingly positive message about faith (along the lines of "Who the fuck cares what people believe!"). From what I know about Mormonism from family members and friends, it felt very accurate to their worldviews and not even that exaggerated. With the level of fantastical lore in the actual Book of Mormon, it's no wonder so many Mormons go on to become sci-fi and fantasy authors...

As far as humor, it fell flat for me. Seeing the live production would probably be funnier, of course, but I've read plenty of plays and musicals that have made me feel what the story intended without me having to actually see it performed. There weren't any laugh-out-loud moments, and the humor seems to rely on shock value and lots of dirty cursing, as expected from the creators of South Park, but I've never been a huge fan of the show. I did like the dark humor, but the rest just wasn't my taste.

The soundtrack, too, isn't the sort of thing I see myself listening to over and over, although there are tons of catchy songs. Josh Gad's delivery was especially great. My favorites were "Hello" and "I Believe."

So, I can see why people love this show, but I'm not hankering to see it live.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hello! I would like to share with you the most amazing book. And this is probably the best libretto of a Broadway show in decades. Better only with the music in the Theatre.

[Bettie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bettie's Books



South Park Tells About the Foundation of Mormonism and Joseph Smith

[Rachelle Urist · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is everything the critics say it is: brilliant, funny, subversive. I'd love to see it. Given that ticket prices are through the roof, I decided I'd read the script. Maybe ticket prices will come down. (Ha!) Reading this in the wake of Shalom Auslander's HOPE: A TRAGEDY, was startling. There are similar tropes, though the impulses are very different. (Or are they?)

By the end of Book of Mormon, real change has been effected in the fictive Uganda - because people choose to believe. That they believe in lunatic ideas makes no difference: social change has occurred; bad things stopped happening (for a while - and this IS a loony fairy tale). The power of faith is affirmed, however bizarrely and however asinine the missionaries appear.

The script is printed two columns to a page - mimicking the print style of the actual Book of Mormon. Until I realized that this wasn't the style of normal drama, where double columns means two characters are speaking at once, I read it all wrong - it was akin to reading page 1 then 3 then 2 then 4, and so on. Once I realized my error I started from the beginning again, and then the play flew by. It's wildly irreverent without being mocking (mostly). It's pure, benign fun - unless the F word doesn't feel benign to you. If that's the case, steer clear of this.

The simple conceit - to have the Elders (Mormon members), divided into pairs to go, two by two, out into the world, and to have the central pair, our main protagonists, be a nerd and a Mr. Popular, was inspired. A stroke of genius. The nerd, of course, ...: but that would spoil it! It's so perfectly constructed, with twists and turns involving despots, naifs, women and girls at risk, lewd rituals, horrifying rituals, and a cast that is approximately half black, half white, all contributes to the play's success. The lyrics are hilarious, and while I couldn't see the choreography, I could catch imaginary glimpses of it in the refrains and repetitions. Ah, how I'd love to see this show! Well done, Trey Parker and Matt Stone!

[Javier Fernandez · Rating 5 out of 5]

You'll burn in hell for all eternity for reading it, but it's well worth it!

[Brad Hart · Rating 4 out of 5]

My fellow Mormons won’t like me saying this, but I thoroughly enjoyed “The Book of Mormon” musical. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I read the actual script (and I have seen the musical at least 6 times). It is everything you should expect it to be. The South Park creators (Trey Parker and Matt Stone) created a hilarious, blasphemous, sacrilegious and strangely touching musical that will last for decades. As both a Mormon and a fan of musicals, I knew that I would never be able to resist the temptation of watching this, and I am glad I gave in to said temptation. I will say that if you can’t handle profanity or blasphemy, you better stay away. But if you dare to open Pandora’s Box, I promise you are going to laugh until you puke. There are even jokes that only Mormons would understand. The South Park guys went all in and it shows.

[Darby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious

[J.Lea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this script. The music, the humour, the characters, everything.

I really can’t wait to watch it live at a theatre to see the imagery and the layout of the stage, this could possibly be one of my new favourite musicals!

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This new popular Broadway show actually does seem to be some sort of heaven for musicals. I was very skeptical at first, I must admit, a funny musical and religion seemed an odd combination, even for me, although I'm an agnost. But in the end, this libretto was very clever and very funny, but not only that: it was very informative as well. It taught me about the Mormons a bit, who I did not know much about. And, despite the comedy, I think it managed to get the upsides of religion across very well.

I'm sure it would be a quite fun evening in the theatre, if one could see this, but I hear that's nearly impossible!

[Fabian Hebestreit · Rating 5 out of 5]

This indispensable companion to the hit musical is a dream come true for every Broadway enthusiast: Over 700 photos and illustrations, commentary and anecdotes from everyone involved and the whole book with annotations. Even die-hard fans will be able to find some new information or a rare picture here. I wish all my favorite shows could have a book like this.

[Jeanette (Ms. Feisty) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fucking ba-rilliant!!
HASA DIGA EBOWAI

[Mitchell Clifford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this today in Quarantine along with musical accompaniment for the songs. First time reading the play, but have seen it live twice and still found it very funny, light-hearted, and enjoyable.

[Angus McKeogh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb!

[Jacob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious. Crude. Pointed. A whole lot of fun if you can stand it.

[Lily Russell]

read the script for class but still counts idc

[Sarah Sinclair]

prep for Saturday

[V · Rating 5 out of 5]

You simply won't believe how much this book will change your life.

You truly do not understand how much i love this musical. I know the script by heart and even knew when there was something in this script that wasn't like in the play (like Cunningham calling Nabulungi by her real name instead of his multiple names). I'm OBSESSED with this show, and i truly believe it's the best musical of the century bc it's so much fun while also being so clever, so well thought.... There isn't a single moment where you are like "well that's awkward" or "that doesn't flow right"; you're laughing throughout the whole thing. You'll love this even if you hate musicals as long as you go in with an open mind, it's offensive in some parts but you don't stay with an ugly feeling of being insulted.

Believe it or not, this show is pro-faith, Trey Parker and Matt Stone have shown several times how much they respect religion, and if the message you got from the show was "we should all be atheists"; then we didn't watch the same show. It doesn't tell you to become a mormon either, it's all about how it doesn't matter what you believe in as long as you're happy and it makes you a better person.

I know a lot about this show you can ask me absolutely anything btw.

Thank you God! Ma He Nui Bu Eebowai!

[Chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a great companion guide to the Book of Mormon, with great insights into the creation process. A lot of the interview material however, is available online, which made reading the book a bit repetitive (a few pages are also taken directly from the souvenir program). The photography in the book was great, focusing both on the rehearsal process, workshops, backstage and onstage. The book also gave credit to every member of the cast, which is rare in these books. Cast members also took part in annotating the book of the show, which I often found much for interesting than the creator's annotations. Annotations were lacking in some points though, and could have doubled in order to make this book on par with books on other musicals.

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading a script is absolutely nothing like seeing something live, but the text is still funny as hell. Definitely my favorite musical at the moment. Trey Parker, Matt Stone, and Robert Lopez are geniuses...and my heroes.

[Jonathan Tennis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Saw the musical and laughed and laughed and laughed. Wanted to read this to see if there was anything I missed in my laughing fits. Quick read. Great Foreword and Author’s Introduction to learn more about how this show came together.

[Cole Whetstone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Type: Broadway Musical
Outline [1 Layer of Resolution]:
1. Mission from Utah
1. Hello: intro to Price as the image of virtue and Cunningham as screwup.
2. Two-by-Two: The faith of Cunningham (joseph?) is rewarded over Price.
3. You and Me (But Mostly Me): Religious virtue and glory are often deeply egoistic, and therefore irreligious at their base. The naive, childish faith and will to follow that Cunningham displays are why his prayers are answered.
1. Verily I say unto thee: unless ye convert and become as little children, ye shall not enter the kingdom of heaven.
2. Sent to Uganda and Theft:
1. Fuck you G-d: The faithlessness and the (perhaps justified) pessimism of the Ugandans.
2. Turn it off: The Mormons are repressed, but this coping mechanism (faith-based in nature), is often highly adaptive, considering the depravity of the world. Religion as positive repression.
3. 1st Attempt Ministry in Uganda:
1. All-American Prophet: Price and the Mormon story are out of touch and don't speak to Africans, but the general form of the "promised land" story appeals to them.
4. 2nd Attempt at Ministry:
1. Cunningham: Conversion through Lies.
1. Making Things Up Again: Can lies have positive effects?
2. Price: Crisis of Faith
5. Rejection of and by Mormonism:
1. Hello (reprisal): The Mormon (and Islamic and perhaps Christian) heresy is itself reprised, and even though it is based in an explicit lie, it helps people. Cunningham is the new Joseph Smith, and can we deny that he is a prophet?
1. "And if you are in doubt about what We have revealed to Our servant,1 then produce a sûrah like it and call your helpers other than Allah, if what you say is true."
Unity: An atheist's love letter to religion.
-Though Mormonism and other religions like it are based on obviously, sometimes laughably fabricated and derivative stories, those stories and the religious structure they provide give people hope, faith, and steadfast morality -- all of which are genuine goods that help them accomplish seemingly superhuman acts. These acts paradoxically confirm the central claims of faith.

3 Prompt:
1. Why are the Mormons (and religion in general) so successful? (1) the power of faith as represented by Elder Price, but (2) heretically updating the Gospel for a modern audience. (both of which are represented in the play itself (heretically retelling the virtues of Mormonism and in a way extolling the virtues of faith)).
2. Why does Mormonism have a 'musical theater vibe?' Both are essentially performative, depend on the audience's suspension of disbelief, and are ultimately peppy and upbeat. Both use stories which are prima facie false, but communicate profound and eternal morals. Both are directed by a higher power. Both require their actors to pretend to be something they're not, and by pretending, they become so.
1. prima facie, brevisly -- the shallows? Considering only the surface level.
2. secunda facie, profoundly -- the depths? considering the σκοτεινον λόγον.

3 Implications:
1. Do plays have a similar conceit as religion, and are effective for the same reasons? Both effectively convey immortal values through fiction by engaging the audience's "suspension of disbelief." Only through "suspension of disbelief" does a play become real or religion become potent.
2. How does God work through liars and sinners? Funnily, the conversion of the Ugandans (and perhaps the success of the Mormons), could have only been accomplished by the extremely unlikely pairing of Cunningham and Price, and only in the hilariously unlikely manner of the play. These unlikely reversals --- as in the Hebrew Bible -- suggest a divine author to human affairs (here explicitly modeled via the authors of the play).
1. Comic Irony: "God's work" through Price and Cunningham; God answering Cunningham's prayers because he is as a little child and not prideful like Price.
3. Does the "pragmatic value" of Abrahamic religion prove its "theoretical truth?"
1. If Abrahamic religion (qua steadfastly believing in things unseen) helps people live better lives, even though its tenets are not provable a priori, then can we confirm its truth a posteriori?
2. For instance, is the "power of faith" self-fulfilling? If I believe that I have superhuman power to do good for no good reason (e.g. stand up to a Warlord), will I gain it?
4. Religion as positive repression: Repression is willfully (despite evidence) not believing in something, or willfully believing that something didn't happen. All though in excess it is psychologically damaging (it is in due proportion) highly adaptive. Perhaps faith is positive repression, willfully (despite evidence) believing something is true, or happened which in excess is psychologically damaging, but in proper proportion leads to a flourishing life.
1. What does the adaptive value of repression and/or faith say about the value and nature of truth? Are religious/faith-based truths self-fulfilling?
2. Thinking the thoughts you think conditions their truth value...How often you think of something can be out of proportion. Even if you've suffered something horrendous, thinking about it too often might,

Review: 4/5

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this for book club. First time I’ve read a musical, but it actually flowed on paper. Rating is for how I enjoyed reading the musical, not for the soundtrack or how I might enjoy the actual production.

[Debora Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

A jaw-dropper. Very entertaining without being nasty or mean. Can't wait to see the actual show!

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading the genesis story deepened my appreciation for the wickedly funny and brilliant show.

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

This play is hilariously irreverent! I found myself laughing out loud often and cringing probably just as much, and I loved every moment of it.

[Madeline Malfoy]

“Yeah zero”
Elder Cunningham: “That’s practically nothing”

[Isla Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having seen this show live and knowing my parents were keen to see it, I decided to buy this and given its such a short read, I admit I read it in full before wrapping it as a Chrimbo pressie for them!

It brought the show back, right enough. There's plenty of shocking, offensive things said, I mean this IS from the guys who brought us South Park etc. so its kind of what you might expect, if your familiar with their work. Silly, zany, over the top, with overly sexualised language - this is certainly not for everyone and definitely not for a young audience but I can't deny some of the stereotypes and cliches it pokes fun at I quite liked and the overly cheeriness did make me chuckle. The songs are so silly and the whole taking the pee out of The Lion King aspect was kind of amusing, though I am a big fan of the original fan and have nothing against Disney. Its an acquired taste, this... but not without its amusement factor, if you don't take it too seriously.

[Curtis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A few years back, my sister bought me and my parents tickets to see this show in London. We absolutely loved it and it's a real treasured memory for all of us. From the very first moment, when a single cast member walked on stage, rang an imaginary doorbell and sang 'Hello', we knew we were in for a treat.

Since then, I've listened to the soundtrack dozens of times, and seen the show performed a second time with my girlfriend. Pretty much every song has something fantastic about it and I never get bored of listening to them.

If you haven't seen it yet, I just can't recommend it enough, whether you're usually a fan of musicals or not. Trey Parker's ability to combine music and comedy is unrivalled and I sincerely hope he tries something like this again in the future.

[Dean Oken · Rating 4 out of 5]

It takes a certain kind of person to enjoy The Book of Mormon (The Musical) and I am definitely that kind of person. It’s 100% not everyone’s thing and that is completely understandable. But, at least from my perspective, it’s an amazingly witty social commentary about religion, social constructs, and even sexuality. Tomorrow is a latter day.

(P.S. I had to finish this today because I have to attend “good Christian Church tomorrow”. And even though I’m going to hell anyway, I didn’t want people thinking I was reading the actual Book of Mormon in a “good Christian Church”.)

[Bri · Rating 5 out of 5]

With Cancel Culture making its way to attack and ultimately cancel The Book of Mormon on Broadway before it returns post-Covid, I found it of dire importance to read the original script. Parker, Stone, and Lope bring all of the things we love about their previous creations—South Park and Avenue Q, respectivelu—to the stage in a raucous satire of American religious culture and xenophobia. Reading in tandem with the soundtrack, I loved every second of this.