Book of Mormon Musical References

The score for Book of Mormon seems to filled with musical references to other shows. Some are obvious, like Hasa Diga Eebowai being a reference to Hakuna Matata. Another one that stands out to me is that You and Me (But Mostly Me) sounds a good deal like the Wizard and I.

I also noticed that during the monologue prior to Orlando, the orchestra is playing a modified version of the score to Fantasmic. This also might be a coincidence, but the beginning of the dance break during Two By Two reminds me of one of the dance breaks in Cats.

Can anyone else find any other references to other songs/shows in the score?

"Joseph Smith American Moses" is a clear parody of "The Small House of Uncle Thomas" from The King and I

I'm with you, iflip, but I've already had this argument in another thread right after the cast recording came out.

In You and Me (But Mostly Me) when Price sings about Orlando it has the same melody in Tomorrow from ANNIE

All American Prophet reminds me of The Miracle Song from Altar Boyz

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This was discussed on a previous thread, but there's actually a name for that montage of reprises of songs in the Act 1 finale. I'm not going to dig it up right now, but that's not something Les Mis invented, and Parker/Stone have done it before in South Park the movie with 'La Resistance,' and THAT was a direct Les Mis parody. I don't think 'Man Up' was meant to be so though, at least not as overtly.

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sbflyfan, I'm really not seeing or hearing it at all. To me, Spooky Mormon Hell Dream is a play on generic rock opera and cartoonish visions of hell. The backdrops and costumes are straight out of the Disney short where Pluto goes to hell and is tried by cats for his crimes on earth. The only similarity I saw, which judging by how short the show ran on Broadway and how little Matt/Trey visited NYC before they really got to work on this show, was some of the movement of the shirtless character and the devil. However, I don't think either are particularly novel in their approach to the dark side.

And how easily we skip over the clear references. The woman at the airport is doing Rafiki in The Lion King. Bobby Lopez wrote Hasa Diga Ebowai to try and riff on Disney nonsense songs, in particular Hakuna Matata (that's from the month of Broadway.com videos leading to the Tonys).

Not a musical theater reference, but I Am Africa calls to mind a "We Are The World" type of song.

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The creators have stated that they conceived Nabalungi as a Disney Princess-esque sort of personality.

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AEA AGMA SM, I am aware that "Sal Tlay Ka Siti" is Book of Mormon's version of the "I Want" song. I think that the similarity to "Somewhere That's Green" is more relevant, because the musical introduction to the song sounds just like the intro to the main part of "Somewhere That's Green" (right before "A tract house of our own, a fence of real chain link..." Also, I think the reference is more relevant because both of these songs are sort of meant to be sweet, but also funny "I Want" songs. Audrey dreaming of "a grill out on the patio, disposal in the sink" is humorously naive as is Nabulungi dreaming of a place where "they have vitamin injections by the case."

AEA, I meant that "Sal Tlay Ka Siti" is melodically similar to those two songs, and not simply the fact that it's a female "I want" song. For instance, all three songs have the same melody on the line at the end of the song establishing that they're off to a better place-

"I'm on my way..." Sal Tlay Ka Siti
"Far from Skid Row..." Somewhere That's Green
"Out of the sea"... Part of Your World

ALL the same tune!!

I agree with the poster who said "I believe" sounds like "I have Confidence" from the Sound of Music!!

That's what I was about to say, uncageg. "You're Making Things Up Again, Arnold" lifts elements from "Putting It Together".

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