A Mormon Just Believes!

I don’t know how many (if any) of our readers here care about the Tony Awards. The Tonys (and Broadway in general) are not something that I generally give much thought. However, I felt it worth reporting that ‘South Park’ creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker pretty much swept the awards ceremony that aired Sunday on CBS with their satirical religious musical ‘Book of Mormon’. This almost makes up for that Oscar debacle from a few years back. I guess it’s a good thing that Phil Collins didn’t have a show on Broadway this year.

‘Book of Mormon’ took home an impressive 9 Tonys (out of 14 nominations) in all:

Best Musical
Best Book of a Musical
Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Best Direction of a Musical
Best Orchestrations
Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Best Lighting of a Musical
Best Sound Design of a Musical

Here’s a clip from the number “I Believe” that was performed during the broadcast:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tggtPHDmrR8

A lot of the lyrics here remind me of that famous episode of ‘South Park’ that systematically deconstructed the Scientology belief system. With lyrics like the following, it seems clear that Parker and Stone are trying to do the same for Mormonism. For example:

“I believe that in 1978 God changed his mind about black people”

Or:

“I believe that God lives on a planet called Kobol
I believe that Jesus has his own planet as well
And I believe that the Garden of Eden was in Jackson County, Missouri”

It’s kind of amazing that they could put lines like that to music and make them catchy.

In related news, the notorious disaster ‘Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark’ wasn’t nominated for any Tonys (it doesn’t technically open until tonight, despite audiences having seen it for the past six months), but still got the following tedious performance featured at the ceremony:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgk4Jqz8bvw

For the complete list of nominees and winners, see the official Tony Awards web site.

12 comments

  1. lordbowler

    I can’t wait until they do the musical version of the KORAN!

    Now, that would be something to see! A big black box standing in for Mohammad?

    At least until the suicide bombers yell “Allah Ackbar” and blow up the audience.

    Good thing that Mormons don’t act like Muslims when being mocked and ridiculed.

    • Alex

      Speaking as a Mormon, I should just say that we’re kinda used to it by now. The ridicule and mocking thing’s been happening for a couple hundred years. It’s not really that we’re trying to turn the other cheek, it’s just so rare to hear anyone with something original.

      • I try to at least support the missionaries when they come to the door. Apparently someone didn’t mention to the home office in Salt Lake that they probably do not want to send their guys out to Texas in the middle of July and August wearing dress pants and dress shirts, riding bicycles. The poor guys are normally dehydrated by the time they get to my door, usually on the verge of heat strokes.

        I am not Mormon myself, but I have been a missionary before, and know how tough it is. And while I normally get a chuckle while watching stuff like this (especially as I have done Mormon studies before), I don’t think it is right to ridicule someone to their face for deeply held beliefs.

        A kind word can go a long way. And unlike the Jehova’s Witnesses, the Mormons who come to my door are always kind and never pushy. I encourage anyone that if one comes to your door, at least offer them a bottle of water or something. You can nicely let someone know you are not interested, but they are still humans, so if you see they are hot and tired, do something for them.

        • Alex

          The shirt/tie/dress pants combo does get a bit warm. I actually served in Brazil for two years, and the hottest I saw it was 46 degrees Celsius. I drank a lot of Tang that day. 🙂

          I really appreciate your comments, William. I know this is a High-Def forum, and I certainly don’t want to turn into a religious forum, but you make a great point. Let people worship (or not worship) how, where, or what they may. There’s no need to be haughty, sanctimonious, or domineering. If we have a difference of opinion, so be it. We can share our opinions, even engage in fervent debate (much as we often do in these forums), but let it be with respect for each other as people. The least we can do as human beings is be polite to one another.

  2. Let’s be honest. Nobody is going to see ‘Turn Off The Dark’ for anything but spectacle. There are three possible reasons anyone goes to it:

    1. They want to see supposedly-amazing stunts (possibly with the hopes of seeing someone biff it).

    2. They want to see if it truly is as terrible as the reviews are saying.

    3. They want to hear the music of Bono and The Edge. Considering how awful the last U2 album was, I highly doubt that this is the case.

    Was anyone else bored by this song? How about the one Bono and the Edge did on American Idol?

  3. I downloaded the “Book of Mormon” soundtrack on iTunes the other day and have really enjoyed it. Definitely recommended for South Park, Orgazmo, Team America and BASEketball fans….

  4. Okay, this is like the third time I have pulled up this article just to listen to this song. I think I am going to favorite it on YouTube. I want to see if I can get the entire soundtrack.