PHOTO: CODY JAMISON STRAND AS ELDER CUNNINGHAM IN “THE BOOK OF MORMON,” ©JOAN MARCUS
THE BOOK OF MORMON (2011) In 2001, American musical comedy underwent a renaissance with the huge success of Mel Brooks’ “The Producers,” based on his cult-hit 1967 movie. This backstage satire about a pair of crooked showmen hoping to cash in on an abomination called “Springtime for Hitler” ran for six years. A decade later, the seed planted by “The Producers” would bloom into a mighty tree: “The Book of Mormon.” This irreverent, anything-for-a-laugh show, co-written by “South Park” creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, is the apex of the “spoofical.” More than just musical comedy, the spoofical is a selfreferential patchwork of satire, parody and original tunes. These types of shows use the vocabulary of showbiz—chorus kick lines, power ballads—to poke fun at the genre. The continued success of “Mormon” says a couple of things about Broadway audiences. First, they are sophisticated enough about the clichés of musicals to appreciate a parody of them. Second, they’re not offended easily! Bad-taste comedy has become mainstream. Eugene O’Neill Theatre, 230 W. 49th St. WHERE GUEST B OOK
61