“Patrons of the musical aren’t likely to leave the theater with a better understanding of the Book of Mormon,” LDS Church spokesman Michael Purdy said Thursday afternoon. “Our message in the playbill invites the audience to seek a more complete perspective on the book, its Christ-centered message and its place in Mormon belief.”

Attendees of the Book of Mormon musical are pointed to a website that tells more about The Book of Mormon.

The post Book of Mormon Musical playbill ad… appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

Yes, you’ve probably heard about the more recent Book of Mormon Broadway musical, but this one took place in 1912!

It started with a novel, Corianton, (by B.H. Roberts), then a stage play that was created combining Roberts’ book and another book called A Ship of Hagoth. (If you haven’t yet read the Book of Mormon, these names will not be familiar at all, but both people are part of the narrative, if only for a few paragraphs.)

Years later, the play’s creator brought this Book of Mormon musical to Broadway (he financed the project himself). Even as the Broadway musical was short-lived, the story had yet another life through a movie.

It’s a little-known story that Mormon historian Ardis Parshall has shared in detail here. (Ardis is a master at bringing little-known Mormon stories to light.) Middle-Aged Mormon Man is the blog where we first found the story.

We hope our readers enjoy reading more about the real first Book of Mormon musical on Broadway. Thanks to Ardis for her work in researching this, and to MMM for sharing about it as well.

The post The First Book of Mormon Broadway Musical appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

Every year, the Hill Cumorah Pageant is presented free of charge for several nights (even parking is free!). The all-volunteer cast makes it possible (600-700 people participate in the cast each year.) The pageant re-enacts much of The Book of Mormon — its history, its people, its message. It reinforces the faith of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — a faith centered on the Savior.

The pageant is also quite the production — including dramatic special effects (volcanoes, earthquakes, heavenly visitations), elaborate costumes (about 1,400 of them), a massive set (seven levels, over the space of half a football field), professionally written script and score (script by Orson Scott Card, score by Crawford Gates), and more.

Why are we writing about this now, after the Hill Cumorah Pageant time has already passed for the year? We ran across an article written by someone not of our faith who had attended the pageant, and with her permission, we are going to share it here. (Thanks in advance to Danielle Tumminio for her kindness.)

Check in tomorrow….

In the meantime, here’s a New York Times article you can read about the pageant.

Or a Los Angeles Times article.

For more information about the pageant, see the pageant website.

And here’s a Church News article about the Hill Cumorah performance.

The post A Different Kind of Book of Mormon Musical appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

“Mormons are not the only ones misrepresented,” the article explains. “The musical’s characterization of Ugandans is perhaps worse.” And it also mocks religion in general, using Mormonism as the tool.

Michael Otterson’s Washington Post article on the musical is also quoted.

“Of course, parody isn’t reality, and it’s the very distortion that makes it appealing and often funny,” Michael Otterson, the public affairs representative for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, wrote in a recent piece in the Washington Post. “The danger is not when people laugh but when they take it seriously.”

The article points out that of course, some of the parody is pretty benign. But we at Mormon Women hope people will take the time to also understand some of what is less benign.

You can find another review linked here.

The post Article on Some Inaccuracies of the Book of Mormon Musical appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.