I’ve long been keeping a horrible secret that I have to reveal now for this post: I like the musical Wicked. I’ve never seen it live cuz when it was playing in LA in 2007 I didn’t dare reveal to anyone that I wanted to see it so I never did, but I did find a pirated home video of the full play on Google Video (it’s been removed but there’s one here too if you’re interested) – anyway – the point is that I know of the song Defying Gravity and recognized the parody when I heard this track from The Book of Mormon that satirizes the silliness of the “we’re a team! but I’m the star…” premise. Listen for yourself:
Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s first Broadway show ‘The Book Of Mormon’ won nine Tony Awards Sunday night, including Best Musical. Watching the video below of the song I Believe with Andrew Rannells reminded me of days in Drama class where I’d make the same commentary on a Mormon classmate. I never sang them this well though:
Conservative Brent Bozell calls it a Atheist Mormon trashing musical, but, without having seen it, I’m willing to venture a guess that it is not that, but rather is a Musical made by Atheists that does some Mormon trashing.
If you saw the Mormon episode of Southpark, it is not hateful. i do not believe this musical will be “mormon trashing”. I believe it will be an extension of what the Southpark creators think about the religion (which i 100% agree with): that its theology is weird, its youth in history makes it even harder to believe than other religions, and that it advocates the best religion has to offer while producing some of the nicest most productive, happy and cheerful members of any religion on the planet and should get credit for that. i want to see it too. might fly out and do so. will see if im wrong.
I have no reason to believe it will be a smear job that furthers myths. I think it will be a good natured satire dont with friendly pokes based on experience with members of the religion, not myths and smears on it.
Synopsis:
The parody musical follows two young Mormon missionaries sent to Uganda to spread God’s word, only to find themselves in the most hellish situations imaginable. In the scene below, Elder Price (Andrew Rannells) has lost his faith and attempts to regain the courage to fight an evil warlord aiming to control the Ugandan people.
A song from the Southpark episode that was the precursor to the play:
