BOOK OF MORMON Gets Enthusiastic Reception at Salt Lake City Debut

THE BOOK OF MORMON said 'Hello' to its sold-out, two-week run at a Salt Lake City theater last night, and according to The Associated Press the show received an enthusiastic reception.

The site reports that the audience 'cheered wildly' from the onset of the Tony Award winning show and "laughed loudly as the jokes played out, many touching on Mormon lingo and culture that is intimately familiar in Utah." Among the night's biggest laughs was the line, "Salt Lake City, the most perfect place on Earth," sung by 'Nabulungi' during her touching ballad, 'Sal Tlay Ka Siti'. The show concluded with a rousing standing ovation from the crowd.

While many of the lines in the show lightly poke fun at Mormon beliefs, there were no protests in front of the theater. The playbill for the production included ads for the Mormon church with the humorous tagline, "You've seen the play, now read the book."

The site reports that the audience was made up of "a cross-section of non-Mormons, ex-Mormons and some practicing Latter-day Saints." Omar Ledezma Soto, a student at Mormon-owned BYU, attended the show in full missionary uniform, including a white shirt, tie and the name tag he wore during his mission. He shared, "The humor is crude and offensive, but I don't think it's meant to attack or belittle Mormons. It's just a means to talk about the silly situations we put ourselves in. That's why I think this is so funny and lethargic and freeing to me."

As in New York, a crowd appeared at the theater two-hours before curtain to participate in a ticket lottery. Said hopeful lottery participant and ex-Mormon Brandon Haden, "My parents said they wouldn't come see something that makes fun of their religion, which I totally get." He added, "I don't think they make any like sacred, doctrinal jokes, they just poke fun at the stereotypes."

As they have in the past, Leaders with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued a familiar statement in regard to the show which reads, "The production may attempt to entertain audiences for an evening, but The Book of Mormon as a volume of scripture will change people's lives forever by bringing them closer to Christ."

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The Book of Mormon, winner of nine Tony Awards including Best Musical, is currently playing at Broadway's Eugene O'Neill Theatre (230 West 49th Street). The show features book, music and lyrics by Trey Parker, Robert Lopez andMatt Stone. The production is choreographed by Casey Nicholaw and is directed by Nicholaw and Parker.

The Book of Mormon is the winner of nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Score (Trey Parker, Robert Lopez, Matt Stone), Best Book (Trey Parker, Robert Lopez, Matt Stone), Best Direction (Casey Nicholaw, Trey Parker), Best Featured Actress (Nikki M. James), Best Scenic Design (Scott Pask), Best Lighting Design (Brian MacDevitt), Best Sound Design (Brian Ronan) and Best Orchestrations (Larry Hochman, Stephen Oremus); the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical; five Drama Desk Awards including Best Musical; the 2011 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album; four Outer Critics Circle Awards, including Best Musical, and the Drama League Award for Best Musical.

The Book of Mormon features set design by Scott Pask, costume design by Ann Roth, lighting design by Brian MacDevitt and sound design by Brian Ronan. Orchestrations are by Larry Hochman and Stephen Oremus. Music direction and vocal arrangements are by Stephen Oremus.

Photo courtesy of Book of Mormon Official Web Site