I have the privilege of attending BOM in SLC. Tons of press outside. Love hearing people pretend they know all about the show and have no idea what they are talking about.
It will be interesting to see the audience reaction to inside jokes that I think Mormons will get and hopefully appreciate.
All of the playbills/programs for all four companies have had ads from the actual LDS church for over a year now. I think Broadway was the last to get on board. And yep, this is their first time in Utah.
"This thread reads like a series of White House memos." — Mister Matt
We are at intermission. The energy in the crowd and on stage is incredible. When Elder Price made his first appearance on stage, the crowd went wild. He literally had to pause for the audience applause.
At the end of "Hello" when the back drop turns to Salt Lake City, the crowd went wild again.
During Salt Lake City song ( I know it's spelled differently), Nabulungi had to pause a few times for the audience applause and laughter.
The crowd went wild again during Turn It Off, especially when they switched to the pink vests.
Unbelievable. I don't think I have ever attended a show with so much energy. You can tell the actors are eating it up. Everyone on stage is giving their best performance. Wish I could record it for everyone to see. It's an experience to say the least.
"excited for your report is this the first time the tour has played salt lake city or utah? would have thought they had been there by now after 3 years of tours
BTW, the Church has already jumped on the bandwagon
The playbill for the first national tour in SF last month featured FOUR FULL PAGE COLOR ADS INVITING PATRONS TO CHECK OUT THE "REAL" BOOK OF MORMON
I was shocked and amused by the art imitating life => life imitating art moment of these ads
=> would love as a marketer to know the conversion rate on these ads..... "
Yes this is the first time in Salt Lake City. We have a small theater, so shows usually head to the cities with the bigger theaters. The Playbill has 3 full page ads as you describe.
Thanks for the report. There are moderates, atheists, humanists, and reasonable religious people in every city. I think the more oppressive the climate is, the more they must be starved for something like this.
Shows over. I did seem BOM with the original cast several times, but this had to be one of the best performances of the show I have seen.
AJ Holmes plays Elder Cunningham. He does an incredible job. He plays it a little differently than Josh Gad, but still incredible. I honestly can't say which performance I liked more. The only difference is Josh Gad had a much better singing voice. However, I think AJ played the part just as good as Josh. I am hesitant to say it was better than Josh, but pretty close. If you get a chance to see him play, Elder Cunningham, do yourself a favor and see it.
The energy of the show really felt like a rock concert. Several times the audience broke out in applause during songs. The only thing missing was a standing ovation during the show.
Would love to see an interview from the cast after the show. That had to be an experience for the cast they will never forget. I have tickets for a few more shows before it leaves. I will keep you updated.
The crowd broke in applause and laughter many times during the song. It really felt the crowd got it because many in the audience live that lifestyle. Crowd definitely loved the comment about black people.
The only thing I would suggest to the cast and crew, is they need to anticipate the crowd applauding during the performance. A few times during "I believe", the crowd would roar and you couldn't hear parts of the song. Not sure if the song should be performed with pauses or simply ignore the crowd. I think it is best to pause with this crowd, which did happen in other scenes.
SLC Tribune "The first national tour plays in Salt Lake City — or as a song from the show calls it, the mythical place of "Sal Tlay Ka Siti," where the warlords are friendly — through Aug. 9."