(Via jenny8lee/Flickr)
Theatregoers lucky enough to score tickets to see The Book of Mormon in Toronto this spring will also be treated to some playbill evangelism.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has said it’s taken out three full-page ads in the programme for the play, a satirical take on Mormon missionaries.
Each ad is said to feature an image of a smiling man or woman beside an image of the sacred text that Mormons believe is companion scripture to the Bible.
The three ads apparently say:
You’ve seen the play . . . now read the book.
I’ve read the book.
The book is always better.
The play, written by South Park’s Trey Parker and Matt Stone along with Robert Lopez, opened on Broadway in 2011 and scooped up 9 Tony Awards that same year.
The plot tells the story of two young Mormon missionaries sent to a remote village in Uganda, where a brutal warlord threatens the local population. Naïve and optimistic, they try to share scriptures from the Book of Mormon — which only one of them has read — but have trouble connecting with the locals who have bigger worries to concern themselves with.
The Toronto production, which opens April 30, sold out quickly as a result of the positive buzz about the play.
South Park masterminds bring the play “The Book of Mormon” to Toronto. Actual Mormons not expected to attend. Tickets already SOLD OUT!
— Timothy Akalu (@TimothyAkalu) March 18, 2013
After @mirvish blames them for box office chaos, scalpers selling Book of Mormon tix for $1,208 a pop: toronto-theatre.com/theaters/princ…
— Simon Houpt (@simonhoupt) February 20, 2013
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Mormon Church Buys Ad Space in ‘Book of Mormon’ Programme