Hello! My name is Kelly West, and I would like to share with you the most amazing news... Word is, Tony winners Trey Parker and Matt Stone are planning to adapt their Broadway musical The Book of Mormon into a film. If you’ve seen the play, or at the very least, heard the soundtrack, this news may inspire you to go door-to-door spreading the word to the tune of a catchy musical number, but don't go running off just yet. We may have to wait a while for this.
The Book of Mormon was written by Stone and Parker along with Robert Lopez, and follows a couple of young, motivated Mormons who head off to Africa to spread the good word. As you can imagine, if you’re familiar with Parker and Stone’s famous Comedy Central animated series South Park, and/or Lopez' Broadway musical Avenue Q, the play uses humor, as much as it does music, to tell the story. Are they poking fun at Mormons? Not having seen the play, but having listened to the soundtrack enough times, I’d say yes, but not entirely in a stand-back-and-laugh-at-religion kind of way. Some might disagree. There is an actual story told, along with some extremely catchy songs. At the very least, it's probably fair to say that a sense of humor about religion is a requirement to enjoy it.
The good news is, Parker and Stone want to make the movie. The less than good news, as posted by Entertainment Weekly, is that the words “in several years” were used when discussing the “when” side to this idea. From what Parker says, the film wouldn’t fall onto the timeline until after the show continues its run on Broadway, then goes on tour. The tour kicks off next summer in Colorado.
So, while we probably have years to wait for the movie to happen, fans of Parker and Stone will have to get by on South Park (returning with new episodes October 5th on Comedy Central) or head to New York and try to get tickets to the show.
Here’s my favorite song off the Book of Mormon soundtrack:
(“...of latter day saints!”)
