Boston Common - Niche Media - A side of Boston that's anything but common.
Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/109083
exactly the kind of thing I've always dreamed about doing." Even more surprising, Parker and Stone were mentioned in the Playbill—their movie South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut was a source of inspiration for Lopez. "I saw the South Park movie when it opened in 1999," recalls Lopez, "and I just thought, Oh my God, this is exactly what I want to be doing. A week after that, the idea came to me for Avenue Q." Parker and Stone met Lopez for a drink after the show. In addition to admiring one another's work, they discovered they all shared a fascination with Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormon Church. "It just became ridiculously obvious that we should team up and do something about Mormons," says Parker. "So we said, 'Let's do it together.'" The rest is musical theater history. The Book of Mormon went on to win nine Tony Awards, includ- PHOTOGRAPHY BY RAINER HOSCH (MORMON CAST); STU ROSNER (JUROWSKI) "There's a catharsis in laughing at the goofier ideas of religion but not the people practicing them."—TREY PARKER ing best musical, and two years after its opening on Broadway, it remains a very difficult ticket to get, with shows selling out weeks in advance and some people paying hundreds of dollars. The story focuses on a pair of Mormon missionaries' misadventures in Uganda, where they encounter despotism, disease, and brutality— realities that challenge their faith and idealism. The puncturing of idealism (or its triumph) is a common theme throughout literature, and TBOM approaches these hoary tropes with a wildly off-color sense of humor but deep sympathy for its characters. "There's a catharsis in being able to really laugh at some of the goofier ideas of religion without necessarily laughing at the people practicing them," says Stone. The Mormons in the show are portrayed as "relentlessly hopeful and sunny," and the music and choreography reflect that spirit, giving The Book of Mormon a bouncy, zany energy. The creators were inspired by the songcraft of musical theater icons such as Rodgers & Hammerstein and Stephen Sondheim. "The musical is a machine that's designed to bring you down and raise you up," says Lopez. The end result is irresistibly entertaining, if the throngs of fans on Broadway are to be believed. Will Boston audiences join the ranks of the converted? The prophecy is written in The Book of Mormon. April 9–28 at Boston Opera House, 539 Washington St., 866-523-7469; boston.broadway.com BC Vladimir Jurowski conducting the Boston Symphony Orchestra. russian standard STAR CONDUCTOR VLADIMIR JUROWSKI RETURNS TO SYMPHONY HALL TO GREAT ANTICIPATION THIS MARCH. BY JARED BOWEN W hen Russian conductor Vladimir Jurowski debuted in Boston last October, leading the Boston Symphony Orchestra in Shostakovich's Fourth Symphony, he left audiences and critics alike virtually breathless. The Boston Globe marveled at his "cold-eyed precision," writing that there was "not a single gesture wasted." He returns to Symphony Hall on March 8 when the Celebrity Series of Boston presents Jurowski conducting the London Philharmonic Orchestra, where he is principal conductor and artistic advisor. It's also a chance for discriminating audiences to take a second listen to the man rumored to be on the lengthy list of possible replacements for departed BSO Music Director James Levine. The Moscow-born son of conductor Mikhail Jurowski, 40-year-old Vladimir has been among the world's most sought-after conductors since his international debut in 1995. He has led orchestras at most of the world's preeminent concert halls—The Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, and Opéra National de Paris, to name just an elite few. "He's got the goods," says Gary Dunning, president and executive director of the Celebrity Series. "Jurowski is one of the rising stars, but he's not so young that he's the newest flashy kid on the block. He's already had a distinguished career working with major orchestras and across musical genres from classical to opera." For his return Boston engagement, Jurowski will mine his Russian roots in a program including Shostakovich's Violin Concerto No. 1. It's a piece Dunning himself is eagerly anticipating. "I'm curious what we will hear—if it's a different interpretation and how he is putting his own mark on it," he says. No matter what Jurowski does, it should be a revelation. Vladimir Jurowski conducts the London Philharmonic Orchestra on March 8 at Symphony Hall, 301 Massachusetts Ave., 617-482-6661; celebrityseries.org BOSTONCOMMON-MAGAZINE.COM 062-063_BC_SC_HottestTicket_Spring13.indd 63 63 2/11/13 4:03 PM