c/o Wiki .......... The Book of Mormon is a musical comedy. First staged in 2011, the play is a satirical examination of Mormon beliefs and practices that ultimately endorses the positive power of love and service. The script, lyrics, and music were written by Trey Parker, Robert Lopez, and Matt Stone. Parker and Stone were best known for creating the animated comedy South Park; Lopez had co-written the music for the musical Avenue Q. The Book of Mormon follows two Mormon missionaries as they attempt to preach the Mormon religion to the inhabitants of a remote Ugandan village. The earnest young men are challenged by the lack of interest from the locals, who are distracted by more pressing issues such as AIDS, famine, female genital mutilation, and oppression from the village warlords West End (2013–) A UK production debuted in the West End on February 25, 2013 at the Prince of Wales Theatre.[30] Gavin Creel and Jared Gertner reprised their North American tour performances. The London cast members hosted a gala performance of the new musical on March 13, 2013, raising £200,000 for the British charity Comic Relief's Red Nose Day. A typical London performance runs two hours and 30 minutes, including an interval of 15 minutes. In March 2014, The Book of Mormon was voted Funniest West End Show as part of the 2014 West End Frame Awards. On July 28, 2014, both Creel and Gertner left the production. Creel left the West End production to return to the first national tour and was replaced by his stand-by, Billy Harrigan Tighe. Gertner was replaced by one of his stand-bys, A.J. Holmes, who had previously played Cunningham on both the national tour and Broadway. After February 2, 2015, Broadway actor Nic Rouleau was cast in the role of Elder Kevin Price, replacing Billy Harrigan Tighe; Brian Sears, who also starred on Broadway (as an ensemble member), replaced A.J. Holmes as Elder Cunningham.Tighe and Holmes then joined the cast of the first national tour, filling the void left when Creel and O'Neill left the tour to play the leads on Broadway. On January 25, 2016 Rouleau announced via Twitter that January 30, 2016 would be his last performance as Elder Price in the West End. On February 1, 2016, longtime Broadway stand-by K.J. Hippensteel officially took over the role as Elder Price in the West End cast. On August 6, 2016 Stephen Ashfield had his last performance as Elder McKinley, as he was transferring over to the Broadway production. On August 9, 2016 Steven Webb took over for Ashfield as Elder McKinley. On January 14, 2017 Brian Sears performed his last performance in the West End. Sears left London to join the Broadway company on February 20. Sears was replaced by longtime second national tour Elder Cunningham, Cody Jamison Strand. Strand's first performance was on January 30, 2017 as he left the West End Company to rejoin the Broadway production. J.Michael Finley succeeded Strand the following year, and returned back to the US after completion. The 2019/20 cast includes Dom Simpson as Elder Price and Tom Xander as Elder Cunningham. Simpson and Xander had both previously been the Understudies for their respective roles and are now the first British pair to lead the show worldwide.
