Earlier this year, the legendary inspirational hero behind one of the most iconic underdog films of all time made his Broadway Debut with an experience that got people inspired, believing, and never giving up. We are talking about the one and only Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger Inspiration From The Movie…
HELLO BROADWAY FANS. It's almost here. Broadway's Biggest night is almost here and 8 DAYS AWAY. You are once again waking up to some of the best performances from the past 73 years of the Tony Awards on our TOP 40 TONY AWARDS COUNTDOWN. Here comes another showstopper!!
At # 8 on our countdown is another one of Broadway?s current long running hits which this one gets people laughing. It tells the crazy adventures of 2 unlikely missionaries who team up, travel to Uganda to try to share their scriptures with the residents there. However, hell breaks loose for them!! We of course are talking about?. The Book of Mormon on Broadway. With a score and book by Trey Parker, Robert Lopez, and Matt Stone, it's inspired by an episode of South Park. .
From the 2011 telecast, Tony nominee Andrew Rannells as ?Elder Price? along with members of the cast perform the powerhouse anthem I BELIEVE.
THE BOOK OF MORMON was first conceived in in the Summer of 2003. Trey Parker and Matt Stone were already becoming household names for their creation of the smash hit TV series South Park and were developing the marionette comedy film Team America: World Police. To get inspiration, Rudin encouraged Parker and Stone to see Avenue Q. After seeing it, Parker and Stone met Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx (the composers of Avenue Q and super South Park fans) and went out for drinks. While talking, the 2 groups all shared something in common?. They wanted to write a comedy involving the story of Joseph Smith and the first Mormons. To learn more about Smith, they decided to take a trip to Salt Lake City interviewing missionaries. The timing was accommodated with Parker and Stone?s schedule with South Park. They continued working on the show and being inspired from a previous South Park episode about missionaries. In 2006 while still working on the piece, Trey Parker and Jeff Marx got into a little disagreement that caused Marx to drop from the production. From there, the show was continued to be worked on with Lopez, Parker, and Stone. With Jeff Marx directing and then later dropped out replaced by Tony winner Casey Nicholaw (a Tony nominee this year), the show went through numerous years of readings and workshops.
The show did not have a traditional out of town tryout heading straight to Broadway opening at the Eugene O?Neill Theatre in 2011. The critics and audiences went crazy crying their eyes out for how hilarious it was. The show continues to sell out and is still hard to get a ticket. It?s grossed over $500 million dollars since opening and has played over 3,000 performances. Under the direction and choreography by Casey Nicholaw, the cast consisted of?
Tony nominee Andrew Rannells (later Nic Rouleau, Matt Doyle, Gavin Creel, Kyle Selig, and David Thomas Brown) as ?Elder Price?,
The show was nominated for 14 Tony Awards in 2011 winning 9 including Best Musical. It also won the Grammy for Best Musical Theater album and the Oliver Award for Best New Musical.
THE BOOK OF MORMON continues to play on Broadway (where its currently the 15th Longest Running Show in Broadway History), on Tour across America, in London?s West End, in Australia, and around the world.
Had a fun day with some of our new Bohemian friends from New Jersey and Scotland on our INSPIRATION OF RENT Walking tour this afternoon. All we had to say was today in the words of “Maureen Johnson” herself IT WAS HOT!!
Have you ever wondered how much hard work goes into performing 8 shows a week on the Great White Way? The most important key is to staying in top physical shape. For the 3rd year in a row during the week prior to the Tony Awards, Fit for Broadway will kick off its annual TRAINING FOR BROADWAY WEEK. From June 2nd – 8th, 2019, celebrate the Great White Way with a week-long training marathon featuring some of your favorite Broadway performers (who are also real life Trainers and Wellness experts).
FIT FOR BROADWAY is a community group about fitness and wellness (both online and in person). It was founded in 2014 by Jane Jourdan (who at the time was studying Musical Theater and Opera), Their goal is to inspire fellow performers in ways to stay in top shape physically, emotionally, spirtually, and mentally.
Joining Jane Jourdan in the lineup of trainers and workshops will include….
