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James and O'Malley return to 'Book of Mormon' after 12 years

Original Broadway stars rejoin the hit musical for its 15th-anniversary run, reflecting on how the show and the world have changed.

newest coverage 9d agosummary written 9d ago3 pieces MastodonNewswires

What to know

  • Original 'Book of Mormon' stars Nikki M. James and Rory O'Malley have returned to Broadway's Eugene O'Neill Theatre after 12 years, rejoining the production for its 15th-anniversary run.
  • The musical's creators revised the script during the pandemic, notably giving James' character Nabulungi more agency by having her scare off the warlords and stand center stage in the finale.
  • Both actors expressed nervousness about returning despite having performed the role 800+ times each, citing how much the cultural conversation around religion, race, and comedy has evolved.
  • The return is part of a broader trend of original cast members revisiting long-running hit musicals, with similar reunions happening in 'Hamilton,' 'Moulin Rouge,' and other productions.

“It's something that I hope is done a lot more. I hope that there are more shows that have the ability to be open long enough so that people can come back and revisit it.”

Rory O'Malley, Original cast member · Philadelphia Inquirer ↗

Nikki M. James Original cast member, 'The Book of Mormon'Rory O'Malley Original cast member, 'The Book of Mormon'Trey Parker Creator of 'The Book of Mormon'Matt Stone Creator of 'The Book of Mormon'Robert Lopez Co-creator of 'The Book of Mormon'

James and O'Malley return to 'Book of Mormon' after 12 years
Philadelphia Inquirer

How it unfolded 1 development · click the chart to see its coverage articlesposts

Peak 3 pieces in 3h at Nov 2, 5 AM; 3 pieces over 10 days (1 article · 2 posts) Nov 2, 5 AM — 3 pieces · 1 article · 2 posts — Mastodon 2, Newswires 1Nov 2, 8 AM — quietNov 2, 11 AM — quietNov 2, 2 PM — quietNov 2, 5 PM — quietNov 2, 8 PM — quietNov 2, 11 PM — quietNov 3, 2 AM — quietNov 3, 5 AM — quietNov 3, 8 AM — quietNov 3, 11 AM — quietNov 3, 2 PM — quietNov 3, 5 PM — quietNov 3, 8 PM — quietNov 3, 11 PM — quietNov 4, 2 AM — quietNov 4, 5 AM — quietNov 4, 8 AM — quietNov 4, 11 AM — quietNov 4, 2 PM — quietNov 4, 5 PM — quietNov 4, 8 PM — quietNov 4, 11 PM — quietNov 5, 2 AM — quietNov 5, 5 AM — quietNov 5, 8 AM — quietNov 5, 11 AM — quietNov 5, 2 PM — quietNov 5, 5 PM — quietNov 5, 8 PM — quietNov 5, 11 PM — quietNov 6, 2 AM — quietNov 6, 5 AM — quietNov 6, 8 AM — quietNov 6, 11 AM — quietNov 6, 2 PM — quietNov 6, 5 PM — quietNov 6, 8 PM — quietNov 6, 11 PM — quietNov 7, 2 AM — quietNov 7, 5 AM — quietNov 7, 8 AM — quietNov 7, 11 AM — quietNov 7, 2 PM — quietNov 7, 5 PM — quietNov 7, 8 PM — quietNov 7, 11 PM — quietNov 8, 2 AM — quietNov 8, 5 AM — quietNov 8, 8 AM — quietNov 8, 11 AM — quietNov 8, 2 PM — quietNov 8, 5 PM — quietNov 8, 8 PM — quietNov 8, 11 PM — quietNov 9, 2 AM — quietNov 9, 5 AM — quietNov 9, 8 AM — quietNov 9, 11 AM — quietNov 9, 2 PM — quietNov 9, 5 PM — quietNov 9, 8 PM — quietNov 9, 11 PM — quietYesterday, 2 AM — quietYesterday, 5 AM — quietYesterday, 8 AM — quietYesterday, 11 AM — quietYesterday, 2 PM — quietYesterday, 5 PM — quietYesterday, 8 PM — quietYesterday, 11 PM — quietToday, 2 AM — quietToday, 5 AM — quietToday, 8 AM — quietToday, 11 AM — quietToday, 2 PM — quietToday, 5 PM — quietToday, 8 PM — quiet 1
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  1. background

    Return part of broader trend of original cast reunions on Broadway — James and O'Malley's return is one of several instances of original actors revisiting hit musicals, including Aaron Tveit in 'Moulin Rouge' and Leslie Odom Jr. and Christopher Jackson in 'Hamilton.' O'Malley hopes this pattern becomes more common.

  2. 1
    “It was totally surreal being on that stage again, doing a show that I love so much, hearing an audience loving it too, and having people who clearly were seeing it for the first time.”
    — Rory O'Malley

    1. 1 outlet first by Philadelphia Inquirer, 9d ago · read ↗

  3. background

    Creators revise script during pandemic shutdown — Trey Parker, Matt Stone, and Robert Lopez made minor changes to the musical, including a notable adjustment to James' character Nabulungi that gives her more agency by having her scare off the warlords at the end of the show, positioning her center stage.

  4. background

    James and O'Malley depart original run — Both actors left 'The Book of Mormon' when Barack Obama was beginning his second presidential term, each having performed the show over 800 times. They went on to pursue other major roles and career achievements.

  5. background

    'The Book of Mormon' opens on Broadway as cultural juggernaut — The musical, created by Trey Parker, Matt Stone, and Robert Lopez, premiered at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre and starred Nikki M. James and Rory O'Malley among its original cast.