carlimac Posted June 12, 2011 Report Share Posted June 12, 2011 Just a few questions...Has anyone seen it or heard from someone personally who has seen it? (Would you see it if someone gave you free tickets?) Is it any good or is it totally offensive? Should we feel sheepish about foolish caricatures of our missionaries winning acting awards? I guess this musical isn't a whole lot different than say "Singles Ward" or the movies made about pinewood derbies and church basketball fiascos. It's just the venue and the publicity and the audience that is different. Somehow it's alright if we laugh at ourselves and our idiosyncrasies. But to have audiences in NYC who may not know anything else about the spiritually uplifting aspects of our doctrine and beliefs, having their first exposure to the church be something like this is unfortunate at best. Ah well, I'm not going to get my knickers in a twist about it. Just wondering if anyone has thoughts about the show soon to make even bigger headlines than it did when it first opened. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dravin Posted June 12, 2011 Report Share Posted June 12, 2011 There were a few threads in current events about that musical, though I don't recall any comments from those who had attended (just those who have read various reviews and the like):http://www.lds.net/forums/current-events/38634-book-mormon-musical-response.htmlhttp://www.lds.net/forums/current-events/39153-really-good.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlimac Posted June 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 12, 2011 Thanks Dravin. Enlightening discussions. I'm slow to the punch on this. I don't come around this forum very often. Now I'm wondering if those who were "meh- no big deal" about it before are starting to get a little uncomfortable that this show and all it contains (the good, bad and downright ugly) will now be even more widely acclaimed and , for lack of a better word- conspicuous! It's one thing if it's a small little show that hardly anyone attends. It's quite another to have it being promoted and held up to the spotlight like this. I also wonder how it's affecting missionary work in New York City. I'm sure those poor elders and sisters will have some explaining to do to correct false perceptions. I suppose that could be a good thing in some cases. Do they park themselves outside the theater with directions to the church visitor's center? I highly doubt it but it might be a good tactic. (Sigh) Sometimes I wish I belonged to some little obscure and totally unknown church congregation so I could just worship without having to deal with all this bad publicity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pam Posted June 12, 2011 Report Share Posted June 12, 2011 What we consider to be bad publicity can sometimes work in our favor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dravin Posted June 12, 2011 Report Share Posted June 12, 2011 I also wonder how it's affecting missionary work in New York City. I'm sure those poor elders and sisters will have some explaining to do to correct false perceptions. I suppose that could be a good thing in some cases. Do they park themselves outside the theater with directions to the church visitor's center? I highly doubt it but it might be a good tactic. In some ways publicity like this is beneficial to missionary work. The PBS special "The Mormons" was aired while I was on my mission and resulted in more people talking with the missionaries at the door and the like. I'm sure some where turned off by it but it results in a fair number of curious folks, and the more outrageous the presentation (the PBS special was far from outrageous of course, nor was it really bad even if not unicorns and puppies favorable) the more inclined people are to think, "That's too crazy to be true." and ask questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlimac Posted June 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 12, 2011 I just sent a facebook message to my cousin who lives in NYC to see what the feeling is out there. I'll report back when I find out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlimac Posted June 13, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 13, 2011 Here's the response from my cousin (who is a fairly liberal single LDS woman in her late 30s who works in Times' Square):"I haven't seen it, and not sure if I will. I have had a few friends see it and one loved it and one hated it. Both LDS. Surprisingly, the more conservative of the two liked it more. It is getting great reviews here. Everyone loves it and it has become a celebrity favorite. I am a little horrified, if only because it may not be the most accurate depiction, like Big Love on HBO (which I have also never seen). I do know that one of the cast members served a mission, but is now openly gay. Another friend did an interview with him that you might like -" Leaving Facebook... | Facebook Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcguy Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 · Hidden Hidden yep, and told my wife, if you support that musical, you will just keep on watching it. She said "shutup "my name"" Personally, If I ever unplug the tv, it wont be in this household anymore. she watches to much of it...even in the bedroom when I am trying to sleep at night. Link to comment
rameumptom Posted June 13, 2011 Report Share Posted June 13, 2011 The Ritz Carlton that is across the street from the BoM Musical on Broadway belongs to Marriott. There are Books of Mormon in each hotel room. They are having to restock 2 cases of Books of Mormon every week because people seeing the musical are wanting to read the actual Book! I saw the "I Believe!" song and dance from it on the Tonys last night, and it was funny. I think many will come away from that experience knowing it is a light-hearted mocking of innocent missionaries, but that the missionaries still believe and endure. It will open doors for the real missionaries, and have many talking to members about it. I already had a discussion this morning with the Methodist man I car pool with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
applepansy Posted June 13, 2011 Report Share Posted June 13, 2011 Today on FB I ran across a page for the Book of Mormon musical. If you "like" their page you can listen to all the songs. A few were really good and some were funny, and others were offensive. oh well.... can't please everyone in the world. I'm glad I didn't have the opportunity to see it. I would have gone and then been disappointed to have spent the money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carl62 Posted June 17, 2011 Report Share Posted June 17, 2011 I just saw this morning on vh1 where the soundtrack to The Book of Mormon musical is now at no. 3 on the Billboards chart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrmarklin Posted June 17, 2011 Report Share Posted June 17, 2011 As they used to say in Hollywood: No publicity is bad publicity, just spell the name right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilac Posted June 17, 2011 Report Share Posted June 17, 2011 (edited) I work in NYC and live in the general area. Most people, who are normal, working class families, don't have the huge money to drop on a play. Therefore, I haven't met one person who has seen it or intends to see it. I've seen the actors on the local news shows and the play sounds disrespectful to me. Cursing God? With the F-bomb? Not really anything to sing about. The actors were very nice and seemed very talented. It's shame they can't use their talent for something else and leave religious people alone. There are a million other things to do a musical about...why do they have to drag in religion? My opinion is that we should leave alone things that are holy to people. I don't care for some atheists or agnostics or whatever the creators are mocking ANY religion. So, totally not impressed at all. I wouldn't listen to their songs or anything to do with them. They have the freedom to do such a play and I have the freedom to stay far away from it. And, I'm not even a Mormon! Edited June 17, 2011 by Lilac Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SQUARE Posted June 17, 2011 Report Share Posted June 17, 2011 Garbage, Garbage, and more Garbage. This musical is written by the south park people. This play is very disrespectfull, bad language, and full of Blasphemy. I would not go for free if it was the last play on earth. Do not waste your time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suzie Posted June 24, 2011 Report Share Posted June 24, 2011 I saw the "I Believe!" song and dance from it on the Tonys last night, and it was funny.I just saw it on YouTube and I thought it was hilarious! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carl62 Posted June 24, 2011 Report Share Posted June 24, 2011 If anybody is curious about what this contains, I just heard the soundtrack a few days ago and I must say that this isn't just some elbow-ribbing-picking on of the church like the South Park episode on the church. This is way worse. Just on the soundtrack alone it uses over 50 F-bombs (I read that the play has over 100!), talks about Joseph Smith raping babies (many times actually) and having sex with frogs, Jesus coming across as a dude (along with some foul language), twisting the Book of Mormon beliefs with Star Wars tales, allegorizing the baptismal experience with the first time having sex ( the missionary and investigator are both excited because they'll be "doing it" for the first time), and it goes on and on.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lehi Posted September 7, 2012 Report Share Posted September 7, 2012 Hi, After watching some of the videos on youtube i thought this is not so bad...but then the stuff when they are in Africa is just alot of foul language and blasphemy. I now think this is what Lehi saw in his dream. "a great and spacious building" (a large theatre)..."And it was filled with people, both old and young, both male and female" (the audience)..."and they were in the attitude of mocking" (laughing at all of the foul language and disrepectfull things that are in this show). Just my thoughts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EarlJibbs Posted September 7, 2012 Report Share Posted September 7, 2012 I think comparing this to movies poking fun at ourselves like "RM" and "Singles Ward" are not good ones. From what I have heard and read, the play itself is very funny, but not in the funny way most of us are used to. Most of us LDS folk can take a good joke about ourselves, but this show is nothing of the sort. I think I remember an opostle stating that they fear the day when Mormons become mainstream. I tried to look it up and this is the closest I could find from 1998 talk by President Faust. Still a great message and a warning to those of us (me included sometimes) that think that coarse humor is okay. In our society many sacred values have been eroded in the name of freedom of expression. The vulgar and the obscene are protected in the name of freedom of speech. The mainstream of society has become more tolerant, even accepting, of conduct that Jesus, Moses, the Prophet Joseph Smith, and other prophets have warned against since the beginning of human history.We should not allow our personal values to erode, even if others think we are peculiar. We have always been regarded as a peculiar people. However, being spiritually correct is much better than being politically correct. Of course, as individuals and as a people we want to be liked and respected. But we cannot be in the mainstream of society if it means abandoning those righteous principles which thundered down from Sinai, later to be refined by the Savior, and subsequently taught by modern prophets. We should only fear offending God and His Son, Jesus Christ, who is the head of this Church.?Search Me, O God, and Know My Heart? - Ensign May 1998 - ensign Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EarlJibbs Posted September 7, 2012 Report Share Posted September 7, 2012 Here is another article from June 2002 A King for Israel - Ensign June 2002 - ensignWe have moved too far toward the mainstream of society.” 1 We have been repeatedly counseled against adopting the philosophies of the world and participating in its fads and styles. Our prophets plead for us to keep the Sabbath day holy, shun inappropriate media, and avoid debt. Too many ignore the counsel because being acceptable to the world seems more attractive and “fun” than being acceptable to the Lord. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
talisyn Posted September 8, 2012 Report Share Posted September 8, 2012 This must have been a really bad year for Broadway if this musical is getting so much credibility Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carl62 Posted September 8, 2012 Report Share Posted September 8, 2012 And it must also be a bad year for music if the soundtrack makes it on the top 5 of the Billboards chart for almost 2 months. Aside from the language and the blasphemies, the music itself just simply sucks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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