South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone were inspired by their own South Park episode ‘All About Mormons’ to create a comedy about Mormonism and their missionaries. Upon meeting with one of the writers/composers of Avenue Q, Robert Lopez, the trio decided to create a comedy musical and took trips to Salt Lake City to interview both missionaries and ex-missionaries.
The Book of Mormon follows the journey of two enthusiastic young Mormon missionaries, Elder Price and Elder Cunningham, as they are sent on a mission to Uganda. While they hope to spread the word of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, they quickly realize that the villagers are dealing with much more urgent and pressing issues…
The musical premiered on Broadway in 2011 with Josh Gad and Andrew Rannells in the two leading roles and is still running today! It won 9 Tony Awards in 2011 including Best Musical and a 2012 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album.
The Book of Mormon eventually crossed the pond in 2013 to the Prince of Wales Theatre and has been playing ever since (apart from a brief COVID hiatus). It came away from the 2014 Olivier Awards with 4 wins, including Best New Musical and Best Actor in a Musical for Gavin Creel.