http://www.mormonlife.com/tag/Book%20of%20Mormon%20Musical Mormon Life - Book of Mormon Musical tag http://www.mormonlife.com/story/63697-musicals-and-the-churchs-work-in-africa http://www.mormonlife.com/story/63697-musicals-and-the-churchs-work-in-africa Fri, 25 Feb 2011 12:41:00 -0700 <div> source: bycommonconsent.com </div> I find it interesting that the new Broadway show THE BOOK OF MORMON throws a freshfaced missionary into Uganda, where the setting is supposed to show the ludicrousness of mormon faith and idealism when confronted with the hellish realities of man’s cruelties to man. <P> The reality is that Mormons are already in Uganda, and we’re doing just fine, thanks. </P><P> The Church has a new microsite in the LDS Newsroom on its presence in Africa, focusing on its humanitarian operations and on the growth of calculations. There are more than 7,000 members in Uganda, and local clean water initiatives sponsored by the Church have brought clean water to almost a million people (very interesting infographic here). It would be an overstatement to say that the Church is flourishing wildly, but it would be a similar mistake to assume, as have Parker and Stone, that sub-Saharan Africa presents an easy way to counter the naivete and optimism of Latter-day Saints. God hasn’t forgotten Africa.</P> http://www.mormonlife.com/story/63693-review-of-new-book-of-mormon-musical-how-offensive-is-it http://www.mormonlife.com/story/63693-review-of-new-book-of-mormon-musical-how-offensive-is-it Fri, 25 Feb 2011 12:04:00 -0700 <div> source: ew.com/ew/ </div> There were no protesters to be found outside NYC’s Eugene O’Neill Theatre on 49th St. yesterday evening. Ordinarily, that information wouldn’t be news, but last night wasn’t quite an ordinary occasion: It was the first preview performance of The Book of Mormon, the new musical by South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone and Avenue Q co-creator Robert Lopez. (Check out EW’s Q&amp;A with them in this week’s issue.) An irreverent tuner about two Mormon missionaries in poverty-stricken Uganda, Mormon has been touted as the most potentially obscene production to ever grace the Great White Way. So just how off-color is it? <p> Very. The show is jam-packed with foul language, sexually explicit jokes, and enough blasphemy to knock your church-going grandma right out of her seat. </p>