Less than a week after The Book of Mormon went on sale to the general public, the musical broke the house record at Melbourne’s iconic Princess Theatre for the highest selling on sale period of any show.
That is a remarkable achievement when you consider the Princess Theatre is more than 150 years old and has hosted many of the world’s most prominent musicals including The Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, Cats, Beauty and the Beast and Jersey Boys. In fact, the achievement is simply extraordinary!
But The Book of Mormon is no ordinary musical. Written by South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker alongside Robert Lopez, who co-created Frozen and Avenue Q, The Book of Mormon has delighted audiences all over the world since its Broadway debut in 2011.
And now it is Australia’s turn to witness the religious satire musical. The Book of Mormon Melbourne season opens at the Princess Theatre in January 2017.
The unorthodox musical has amassed a ton of awards, including nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical, a Grammy Award and multiple Laurence Olivier Awards.
The Book of Mormon has toured the USA and is currently appearing on London’s West End, but the Australian tour will be the first time the musical has been performed outside the US and UK.
It goes without saying that any musical that is the brainchild of Trey Parker and Matt Stone will be riotously funny! No one is safe when it comes to the Book of Mormon, with the faith-based musical full of blasphemy and non-stop laughs.
But the comedy is not the only hallmark of The Book of Mormon. Like any good musical, the music is the key and The Book of Mormon belts this element out of the park.
Anyone familiar with the work of Parker and Stone will know they are in fact talented comedic song writers. Their song Blame Canada, from the South Park movie, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song.
Their co-writing partner, Robert Lopez, is one of the most accomplished musical songwriters of his generation. He is the youngest of just 12 people to have won the four major awards – an Oscar, Grammy, Tony and Emmy – completing the feat in just 10 years.
Between the three, there’s serious writing and comedy chops. So it is little wonder The Book of Mormon is as popular as it is. But on top of popularity, the musical has received rave reviews, a slew of awards and an amazing amount of acclaim.
It would appear Australian audiences need no further convincing with ticket sales for The Book of Mormon already breaking records. If you are yet to get your tickets for this remarkable show, what are you waiting for?
This is one musical and comedy event you simply have to see while you have the chance!
The Book of Mormon will open at Melbourne’s Princess Theatre in January 2017.
