The new price tag for an orchestra and front mezzanine seat reflects a $13 increase since the musical swept the Tony Awards, nabbing honors for Best Musical, Best Score and Best Book. With "South Park" writers Trey Stone and Matt Parker, and Avenue Q Tony winner Robert Lopez behind it, The Book of Mormon was already a hot ticket since opening to unanimous raves March 24.
The last time Broadway saw a hit of this magnitude was in 2001 with Mel Brooks' The Producers, which also raised its top ticket price from $90 to $99 when critics penned love letters to the musical in all the major papers.
As is common among Broadway productions, ticket prices are also increased during the lucrative Thanksgiving Week. The Book of Mormon's top ticket price will raise to $175. Aisle seating, which has also become a theatrical commodity in recent seasons, now stands at $182 per ticket, and must be purchased in pairs. Premium tickets for The Book of Mormon are $302 for weeknights and $352 for Friday-Sunday performances.
The Book of Mormon also picked up Tony Awards for Best Direction (Parker and co-director/choreographer Casey Nicholaw), Best Performance by a Featured Actress (Nikki M. James), Best Orchestrations (Larry Hochman and Stephen Oremus), Best Scenic Design (Scott Pask), Best Sound Design (Brian Ronan) and Best Lighting Design (Brian MacDevitt).
Josh Gad ("The Daily Show with Jon Stewart") and Andrew Rannells (Jersey Boys) star as an unlikely pair of Mormon missionaries who venture from Salt Lake City to AIDS-ravaged Uganda in the hopes of converting villagers with the story of Joseph Smith and the founding of the Mormon Church. The problem is: Only one of them has actually read the book. The cast also features Rory O'Malley (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee) as Elder McKinley, Tony winner James (All Shook Up) as Nabalungi and Michael Potts (Grey Gardens) as Mafala Hatimbi, as well as Lewis Cleale, Scott Barnhardt, Justin Bohon, Darlesia Cearcy, Kevin Duda, Asmeret Ghebremichael, Brian Tyree Henry, Clark Johnsen, John Eric Parker, Jason Michael Snow, Benjamin Schrader, Michael James Scott, Brian Sears, Lawrence Stallings, Rema Webb, Maia Nkenge Wilson, Tommar Wilson, Graham Bowen, Ta’Rea Campbell, Jared Gertner, Tyson Jennette and Nick Spangler.
Parker and Stone have earned four Emmy Awards and a Peabody Award for "South Park," which is now in its 15th season. Their films include "South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut" (Academy Award nomination for Best Song) and "Team America: World Police."
Lopez co-created Avenue Q, earning 2004 Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Score and a Grammy Award nomination for Best Cast Album. He has also penned Finding Nemo: The Musical with his wife Kristen Anderson-Lopez.
For tickets phone (212) 239-6200 or visit Telecharge. The Eugene O'Neill Theatre is located at 230 West 49th Street.
