Arts & Culture
guy - but this role gets to be both. He gets to be funny, but also drive the story. He gets to be romantic, but also be a total rock star. He gets to be the second banana, but then he also steps out and becomes the leading man. And he takes such an amazing journey.”
collaborative and cool. I also love how seriously they take the quality of their work. Even now, almost two years after the show opened on Broadway, they are so committed to making this production the best it can possibly be.” His co-star Gavin Creel, who plays Elder
Price, adds: “I was worried that the whole South Park vibe would be something I wouldn’t be good at, until I realised that there is no such thing. T ey are just a pair of guys who always seem to be looking for the unique side of funny but never abandon honesty or story for the sake of a laugh. “I think this show delivers big time on its expected South-Park-ian sense of humour and style, but the best part about T e Book of Mormon is that it is built around classic musical comedy bones - full of heart, story and golden age musical craft.” As a result, its Broadway show has already
No controversial subject is left untouched either – with religion, disease, the economy and even musical theatre receiving the Parker and Stone treatment. But what else would you expect from the four-time Emmy Award- winning duo, who co-created their sixteenth season of South Park in 2012? “I love them,” says Gertner. “I’ve been a fan
for so long and I think they have consistently produced some of the smartest, funniest material in recent history. T ey are big, important, successful geniuses, so I didn’t know what to expect from them. T e wonderful surprise has been that they are so approachable,
won nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and the Grammy for Best Musical T eatre album – leaving big shoes for its US tour and London productions to fi ll. Gertner concludes: “It’s not about emulating that success as much as it’s about creating our own. I feel like I am actually on a mission, spreading the word but it’s a musical instead of a religion. “Audiences can expect to laugh their butts
off , be a bit shocked at times, and they can expect to have fun. T e thing they never expect is to be moved by the story and to care about the characters so much. T at’s the best part. T ey think they’ll laugh the whole time, and then at the end they’re genuinely moved.” Creel adds: “T e built-in South Park crowd has helped it cross over into an audience that might not usually come to musicals. If the piece wasn’t as high quality as it is I think it
T e Book of Mormon runs from 25th February 2013 at T e Prince of Wales T eatre London For tickets and more information call the Box Offi ce on 0844 482 5110 or visit
www.bookofmormonlondon.com
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would have been a fast fad and not the lasting success that it is. It’s got massive heart, plain and simple. “T is show has become a sort of international
phenomenon, the likes of which just don’t happen very often in the theatre. So I feel a certain drive to live up to that expectation, but we have the entire original creative team right here with us, every step of the way, guiding us to an incredible end result. I have full faith in this UK mission. London isn’t gonna know what hit ‘em.”
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