Kerry Lengel

The Republic | azcentral.com

Broadway buffs in metro Phoenix finally will get the chance to see "The Book of Mormon," the critically acclaimed, cheerfully profane musical from the creators of "South Park" — but not for another year or so.

ASU Gammage, which hosts first-run Broadway tours, announced Monday, April 28, that the controversial hit will be part of its 2015-16 season. Dates and ticketing details are still to come.

"We've been fielding hundreds and hundreds of requests for the show, so we're very fortunate that it will be here," said Colleen Jennings-Roggensack, executive director of ASU Gammage, which is owned and operated by Arizona State University.

For many patrons who have been asking when "The Book of Mormon" will come here, the next question will be: Why did it take so long?

Gammage — a 3,000-seat auditorium designed by Frank Lloyd Wright that will mark its 50th anniversary this year — is one of the top Broadway touring houses in the country and often is one of the first venues to host the most popular shows. For example, when 2012's Tony Award winner for best musical, "Kinky Boots," comes to Tempe in September, it will be will be on its second stop after a tour launch in Las Vegas.

In contrast, 2011's "The Book of Mormon" has been on the road for 18 months and played in scores of cities large and small, from Chicago and Atlanta on down to Schenectady, N.Y. The unexplained delay has fueled rampant rumors that Gammage avoided scheduling the show because of its controversial content — perhaps bowing to political pressure from influential members of the local Mormon community.

"At this stage of the game, we're just so excited that the show is coming that I'm not going to comment on that," Jennings-Roggensack said.

"When we have the show here, one of the things we're going to talk about is it does contain explicit language, and we really want people to use their own judgment in making the decision to see the show. But we've always prided ourselves on having a diversity of patrons and a diversity of arts entertainment, so we're just looking forward for people to familiarize themselves with all of our presentations, not just this one. We want them to make informed decisions."

"The Book of Mormon," created by "South Park's" Trey Parker and Matt Stone along with "Avenue Q" and "Frozen" songwriter Robert Lopez, opened on Broadway in March 2011 to rave reviews and packed houses. That spring, it won nine Tony Awards, including best musical.

The plot involves two missionaries from Salt Lake City sent to preach in war-torn Uganda. Woefully unprepared to face the violence and poverty there, they suffer a crisis of faith.

Satirical musical numbers include "You and Me (But Mostly Me)," a duet sung by chipper go-getter Elder Price and geeky companion Elder Cunningham, and "Spooky Mormon Hell Dream," which features a giant dancing Starbucks cup (a reference to the Mormon prohibition on drinking coffee).

There's also a spoof of "Hakuna Matata," the don't-worry-be-happy anthem from Disney's "The Lion King," that is, from nearly any religious perspective, wildly blasphemous.

Without question, much of the content is offensive to many members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Miles Abernethy of Gilbert, the owner of a graphic design firm and a former LDS bishop, is a fan of such Broadway shows as "Phantom" and "Cats" but said he would rather "The Book of Mormon" musical "not exist."

"I love the Book of Mormon, and to me it's the word of God, so to have a play out there that uses its name and profanes God to me is deeply concerning," he said. "But people have their agency and people will do what people will do.... Hopefully, the honest in heart will want to have a broader picture of it all."

Fans of the show, however, say that although it satirizes some aspects of Mormonism, it ultimately takes a positive view of the role faith plays in people's lives.

Among those supporters is Chandler photographer Micah Nickolaisen, 30, who belongs to a Facebook group of "progressive and post-Mormons" with 400 members. In 2012, he says, about 30 or 40 of them met up for a road trip to see "The Book of Mormon" in Los Angeles.

"We all wore our white shirts and ties and our missionary tags to the show, and it was a blast," he said.

"I think it's important for all religious people to learn how to not take themselves so seriously, especially a more fundamentalist religion like Mormonism. It's good to be able to laugh at ourselves."

Nickolaisen says he will probably always identify as a Mormon but also relates to the musical's message that "there's value in religion above and beyond its literal truth."

He likes the show so much, in fact, that he's planning another group trip to see it in San Diego next month.

That's the kind of passion that has "The Book of Mormon" selling out venues across the country, and not just in politically blue states.

Before it comes to Tempe, the show will have played in Des Moines — twice — and in Salt Lake City, international headquarters of the LDS Church.

High demand also means high prices. At Keller Auditorium in Portland, Ore., which will host the musical for a two-week run in July, tickets for the few remaining good seats are running as high as $750.

At Gammage, Jennings-Roggensack said, "Our '14-15 Broadway subscribers are going to have priority on those tickets. So that's going to be the best way to see the show."

Reach the reporter at kerry.lengel@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-4896.