Book of Mormon cast as of late?

[ACL2006]

I'm still surprised at the amount of original cast members remain in the show after nearly 4 years(7 total - only Spangler & Wilson left the show at some point). They include: Lewis Cleale*, John Eric Parker*, Maia Nkenge Wilson, Tommar Wilson*, Nick Spangler, Graham Bowen* & Tyson Jennette*.

[LizzieCurry]

Maia left for a little while too; Nichole Turner filled in and is in the same role on one of the tours.

[neonlightsxo]

Why are you surprised that they're still in it? It's a steady job in a hit show. They must be enjoying it.

[florida theatre kid]

Caught the second national tour tonight in Tampa, just a few weeks after seeing it in Orlando. The only cast change was Candace Quarrels as Nabulungi, and I think she may be my new favorite out of the 4 I have seen in the role. Her "Sal Tlay Ka Siti" was the best I've heard and her chemistry during "Baptize Me" with a Cody Jamison Strand (who is continuing to kill it) as Cunningham the best I've seen.

David Larsen as Elder Price is also still giving a strong performance. Him and Strand both started laughing during the scene right before the finale. The audience started laughing and applauding as well. Nice to see things like that still happening between the two of them after performing together for over a year. Daxton Bloomquist was amazing as McKinley in Orlando a couple weeks ago, and was even 10 times better tonight. He makes some really amazing choices during "Turn It Off". Besides the OBC, this ensemble remains my favorite. Lots of familiar faces giving even better performances than when they opened in Chicago over two years ago.

The tour finishes up its Florida run here in a week, and in a couple weeks heads back to Chicago for 3 month. The city is in for a real treat yet again!

[porthos]

CJ Eldred has left the First National Tour after about a year of being an Elder Price standby. The current Price standbys for that company are Miles Jacoby, who has been with the Second National Tour and the Broadway production since joining in June, and Gabe Gibbs, who joined the tour fresh out of Emerson College.

[porthos]

To keep the thread updated: Billy and AJ are now leading the First National.

[LizzieCurry]

Skip to about 47 seconds in. Is Gabe Gibbs replacing Gavin, or replacing someone who's replacing Gavin? Or, I suppose, neither is possible. 
http://www.denvercenter.org/blog-posts/news-center/2015/09/09/the-book-of-mormon-gabe-gibbs-anthem-day-with-the-denver-broncos

[PepperedShepherd]

Gavin is contracted until after the first of the year (January 3rd?).

 

I just saw Nic Rouleau this week in London and his mission in the UK will be finishing about the same time.  You do the math.

 

As an aside: I don't know what they put in the water over here, but -- as was the case with Gavin -- Nic has really upped his performance as Elder Price. He's killing it!  (Pretty much the entire West End cast is amazing. I even saw understudies for Elder McKinley and Nabalunghi, and they were both absolutely terrific.)

[LizzieCurry]

Well, I knew that was always a possibility in the back of my mind.  

[Hellob]

The latest Elder Cunningham is ok but doesn't compare to Ben Platt. IMO, Platt was better than Gad. But if you never saw Platt, you'd be fine with the current guy. I know Creel won the Olivier but I didn't feel like he had a lot of stage presence when I saw him but it was a 2 show day. Maybe he was tired?

[Call_me_jorge]

In that video was gave saying that he was starting rehearsals in December for the Broadway company? Because if it's rehearsals he could potentially be Gavin's replacement.

[LizzieCurry]

Or he's taking a standby or understudy Price role.

[PepperedShepherd]

Hellob said: "The latest Elder Cunningham is ok but doesn't compare to Ben Platt. IMO, Platt was better than Gad. But if you never saw Platt, you'd be fine with the current guy. I know Creel won the Olivier but I didn't feel like he had a lot of stage presence when I saw him but it was a 2 show day. Maybe he was tired?

 

To each his or her own. I much prefer current Cunningham Chris O'Neill to Ben Platt, who actually ranks in the bottom half of my Elder Cunningham list. (I've seen 8 different, in all.)  And Gavin is still my favorite Elder Price -- although the competition there is pretty close, as everyone I've seen has been pretty damn good.

 

[LizzieCurry]

I've found Gavin kind of underwhelming each time I've seen him (on tour and on Broadway), though I liked him more the most recent time I saw him, which I think was his second performance on Broadway as Price. He's more cartoony, but it works for him.

[ACL2006]

it still amazes me how many original cast members are still with this show 4 & 1/2 years after it opened.

[oncemorewithfeeling2]

BOM, POTO, Chicago, Wicked...they're shows that put actors in a golden jail. They love the stability of their job and how it lets them build a life, but are afraid of moving on to a new project that means the stability is gone.

[everythingtaboo]

On another note, how exciting is that the show finally has a new TV ad after most of the last four tears of just seeing the one? I'm guessing it's because Jon Stewart and David Letterman's quotes aren't relevant anymore? Incredible how this show has remained such a huge hit with no B-roll used, really only one live performance, and one commercial!! 

[LizzieCurry]

You mean this? I was surprised and impressed, too. There's also a slightly different print ad campaign using each of these guys. Only one of whom is in the show anymore. :)

https://twitter.com/BookofMormon/status/642031035429969920/video/1

[everythingtaboo]

LizzieCurry said: "You mean this? I was surprised and impressed, too. There's also a slightly different print ad campaign using each of these guys. Only one of whom is in the show anymore. :)

 

https://twitter.com/BookofMormon/status/642031035429969920/video/1

 

"

Actually I've never seen that one! There's one that ends with all the Mormon boys using their bodies to spell out the title. 

[LizzieCurry]

And that's funny, because I didn't know there was a TV version of that -- I've only seen the New York Magazine ad using the guys to spell out MORMON. 

[IgnatiusJReilly]

I went to see The Book of Mormon yesterday. Hadn't seen it since 2011 (with the whole original cast). Have to say I was a bit disappointed, both by the singing, the dancing and by the way the current actors delivered their lines. The audience missed out on many great jokes because the actors didn't deliver the lines like they were originally "designed" (by Trey Parker) to be delivered.

Elder Price was being played by Gavin Creel. Creel did an OK job, but was nowhere near Andrew Rannels' standards. Creel played his role a bit too cartoony for my taste, and rushed some of his potentially funny lines too much, so that the audience were left unsure if it was supposed to be funny and consequently didn't laugh. Creel's singing was quite good though after a poor start in the Hello song, and I thought he did much better in the 2nd set than in the 1st set.
Elder Cunningham was being played by Nyk Bielak. Miles away from Josh Gad's quality. As with Gavin Creel, Bielak was better in the 2nd set, which all in all helped a lot with the audience.
Elder McKinley was being played by Grey Henson. I absolutely loved the way Elder McKinley was being played by Rory O'Malley, so I kind of knew that this wouldn't be the same, but still I thought he was a bit weak.
Nabulungi was being played by a new Nikki - not Nikki M. James, but Nikki Renee Daniels. Daniels did really well, and was the standout actor of the show in my opinion. She did however rush her "soon life won't be so ****ty" part way too much, so that the audience didn't laugh like they did the last time I saw it. Apart from that I thought she was perfect for her role, and she also had a great voice that really stood out on the day.
Finally a word on Nabulungi's father, currently played by Daniel Breaker. Can't say I was too impressed with him either. Michael Potts who originally played this charachter was so perfect for this role, and had this great smile on his face while delivering his crazy lines in the Hasa Diga song, making that song even funnier. Breaker was often rushing his lines too much (like most of the other current actors) and didn't have the same great voice as Potts.

Having said all this, I still had a really good time, and I would definately go back again for a third time if the show is still playing.

[LizzieCurry]

Breaker, not Breakes.

 

Gavin's fine, but I've often thought of him as cartoony, as you said, even when I saw him on tour in 2012. I haven't seen him on Broadway since February. He's all hips sometimes.

[IgnatiusJReilly]

Only 3 original cast members left in the show now:
Lewis Cleale
John Eric Parker
Maia Nkenge Wilson

[LizzieCurry]

IgnatiusJReilly said: "Only 3 original cast members left in the show now:
Lewis Cleale
John Eric Parker
Maia Nkenge Wilson"

 

 

Graham Bowen, Tyson Jennette, and Tommar Wilson are also all still there.

[IgnatiusJReilly]

You're right, Tommar Wilson was also there. Graham Bowen and Tyson Jennette were not, but I see on the website that they are also still part of it.

[GreasedLightning]

everythingtaboo said: "On another note, how exciting is that the show finally has a new TV ad after most of the last four tears of just seeing the one? I'm guessing it's because Jon Stewart and David Letterman's quotes aren't relevant anymore? Incredible how this show has remained such a huge hit with no B-roll used, really only one live performance, and one commercial!! 

 

"

I think that's the whole point ^