The Book of Mormon to return November 2021 with potential revisions - possible edits?

It was reported this week, both here and from Deadline, that Book of Mormon will return to Broadway this November and possibly update some material in the show.

Per BWW: "the show's creators will reportedly convene with actors to discuss potentially problematic instances in the script, according to Baz Bamingboye of the Daily Mail. This news came after twenty Black cast members from the original and current Broadway cast wrote a private letter to Matt Stone, Trey Parker, and Robert Lopez, expressing concerns."

From a March 2021 BWW report:

The creatives and some former cast members will have a reading/workshop and "During the reading, they will read through the show line-by-line, and sort out any problematic parts. "What's great about Matt and Trey is they'd rather close the show than make it feel PC and not funny," said [creator Robert] Lopez, before adding: "No one wants to close. We want to make it better."

Stone also spoke on the plans, saying, "I can't imagine trying to make a politically correct Book Of Mormon." "

I'm curious to hear from fans of the show or anyone that has seen it which specific parts of the show (specific dialogue or lyrics) you think may be potentially cut or re-written? (If any changes result from this workshop at all). What do you think the impact will be for censoring this art overall?

Playbill_Trash said: "What do you think the impact will be for censoring this art overall?"

No one is censoring anything. The creators are contemplating ways in which to make it resonate in the roaring 20s.

My personal reaction when I saw it was that I much preferred Act One where the butt of the jokes was Mormonism. I think it's good the creatives are at least engaging with the people who have played the roles.

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Call_me_jorge said: "I don’t think it’s censorship, because Matt and trey aren’t being forced by anyone, except themselves, to make any changes. If the government were to walk into the Eugene O’Neil theatre demanding them to get rid of Hasa Disga Ebowai, then that’s censorship. This is not that. They are just updating the jokes to fit in the work of 2021. If you watched South Park in 2011, versus now. Their style of writing and jokes has changed drastically and I think for the better. I can’t wait to hear what new stuff they add in the show."

You could say that they are being "forced" by the Woke Patrol via social media.

Yeah I don’t see the Wok people coming for them they’re just maybe getting ahead of the curve. Same with Dr Seuss. Some stuff just doesn’t age well!

Playbill_Trash said: "Hogan, get a grip. The show has been frozen since 2011. So what do you think censorship means? Not your opinion, what do you think it means?"

Some others beat me to the punch. To underscore, consistent with every English-language dictionary of which I am aware, "censorship can be conducted by governments, private institutions, and other controlling bodies." (Emphasis added.) That has not happened.

Yes, social media etc may influence changes, but how is that different from opening out of town (or downtown), getting reviews criticizing some aspect of your show, and making changes to make it more resonant? (Hint: there are none, and no one would seriously call that censorship.)

As long as we are talking about meanings, let's discuss "woke." (And yes I realize it was not you who invoked the term.) "Woke" means "sensitive to social justice." It has been embraced by the radical Republican right as a pejorative. Should we assume that anyone using it here wishes they were storming the Capitol on January 6? I would hope that anyone who did not mean that might consider disavowing their usage lest we think less of them. And no, that's not censorship either.

It doesn’t sound like any of the new outrage is directed at the criticism of religion. The proposed changes will most likely be about race. And I agree completely with the sentiment that if anyone in the cast doesn’t want to say the material in the script then they can quit. They knew what the show was before it was performed for the public and that goes for any actor in any show.

I knew from when I first heard this story that it would come down to what exact changes they would make, so we’ll see. But the thing is, the nuance of the show makes it clear that the butts of all of the race jokes are the clueless white characters that don’t know how offensive and tone deaf they’re being. I think it’s clear in both acts, and comes to a head with a chorus of pasty white boys singing “I Am Africa”.

I can see how people are saying it may not have aged well. But it’s still a masterpiece.

Playbill_Trash said: "It doesn’t sound like any of the new outrage is directed at the criticism of religion. The proposed changes will most likely be about race. And I agree completely with the sentiment that if anyone in the cast doesn’t want to say the material in the script then they can quit. They knew what the show was before it was performed for the public and that goes for any actor in any show.

So what you're saying is that this show, that was made with no input from a single black person, should just have the black people in their cast shut up and dance and be happy they have a job? Is that what you're getting at? Because Book of Mormon is a success and works on the back of its Black cast. To act like actors sending the producers a letter explaining that they think there are problems within the show and those producers hearing them out and willing to change aspects of the show because this is a different world than 2011, CERTAINLY in the last year for which they've been closed, as some sort of censorship gone mad is just... well it's just plain stupid. Shows make changes. Shows add/remove scenes and songs all the time. Rewrite dialogue all the time. This is part of theatre, not censorship.

I knew from when I first heard this story that it would come down to what exact changes they would make, so we’ll see. But the thing is, the nuance of the show makes it clear that the butts of all of the race jokes are the clueless white characters that don’t know how offensive and tone deaf they’re being. I think it’s clear in both acts, and comes to a head with a chorus of pasty white boys singing “I Am Africa”.

Listen, the writers of South Park don't know nuance. There is nothing nuanced in Book of Mormon, Trust.

I’d kinda agree! South Park is actually very nuanced. It might be a bit over the top but their social commentary is on point.

Well, short of writing in "Joseph Smith Was Called a Prophet," I don't really know what more they can do.

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Charley Kringas Inc said: "TBH there should be way more dumping on Mormonism in this show, which is less a religion and more a scam in line with Scientology."



You know nothing. That's a bull**** comment. I'm very proud of my "Mormon" heritage.

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People, is this any way to start a post-pandemic? Have compassion! Black actors have to say there are maggots on their balls.

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I think sometimes satire is actually meant to offend. There are extremes surrounding the Ugandans in the show that some might find offensive but the tone of the show SHOULD protect it against any meaningful accusations of racism. But it's a different world than it was 18 months ago. The real loss of nuance we should be worried about is the line between typical comedy and satire being completely misunderstood.