Ten years ago today, the hit musical “The Book of Mormon” premiered in Salt Lake City. Or Sal Tlay Ka Siti.
- This is Old News, our weekly revue of Utah’s past.
Why it mattered: Utah was on pins and needles to see how audiences would react to the show’s skewering of the dominant local religion.
What happened: The audience erupted in cheers as the Capitol Theatre curtain rose opening night on a set showing the Salt Lake temple, which stands two blocks away.
- Gags like the dancing Starbucks cups in “Spooky Mormon Hell Dream” got big laughs, as did the character Nabulungi’s anthem to the faith’s hometown — “a village in Ooh-Tah” that has “waterfalls and unicorns flying.”
The other side: Some audience members walked out.
What was inside: A playbill ad placed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints read: “You’ve seen the play … Now read the book.”…