Robert Lopez

Credit: Stephen Lovekin/Getty; Inset: Kevin Winter/Getty

Book of Mormon Sweeps Tony Awards – No Surprise

Originally posted 06/12/2011 11:30PM

Broadway got religious Sunday night – make that sacrilegious – with the wildly irreverent The Book of Mormon dominating the 65th annual Tony Awards, as expected.

"This is such a waste of time," said Chris Rock as he was about to open the envelope, "like taking a hooker to dinner."

Lampooning young Latter Day Saints on a mission to Uganda, the musical, with a book and score by South Park's Trey Parker and Matt Stone and Avenue Q's Robert Lopez, went into the evening with 14 nominations and walked away with nine Antoinette Perry Awards, including best musical, score, book, featured actress Nikki M. James, among others.

Parker, who co-directed Mormon with Casey Nicholaw, thanked South Park fans when the two were named best directors of a musical. "If it weren't for you guys," said Parker, "we wouldn't be here."

Permalink |

Filed Under: Tony Awards, Matt Stone, Neil Patrick Harris, Robert Lopez, Trey Parker

Credit: Jim Spellman/WireImage

South Park's Matt Stone and Trey Parker Conquer Broadway

Originally posted 06/11/2011 07:35PM

When South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker decided to try their hand at writing a Broadway show, The Book of Mormon, there were some inherent concerns about how the irreverent duo's talents would translate to the sophisticated New York theater crowd.

"That was the big question: are the grey hairs gonna come and are the South Park people going to come to something they can't afford?" says Stone. "But I've seen some really old people in their laughing their asses off!"

Have they ever: since opening in March, The Book of Mormon has grossed more than $10 million in ticket sales, and has been nominated for 14 Tonys – the most of any show this year – including individual nominations for stars Andrew Rannells, Josh Gad, Nikki M. James and Rory O'Malley.

"It's been a ride and a half," says Gad. "All of us are so thrilled that the world is embracing it as furiously as they are."