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The full reviews aren't in. The actors haven't taken a for-real curtain call. Heck, the curtain hasn't even officially gone up yet.
But the LDS Church isn't waiting for "The Book of Mormon" to debut on Broadway later this month. Instead, the Utah-based faith, responding to news media requests, released a statement Monday about the much-anticipated Broadway musical from "South Park" creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker.
"The production may attempt to entertain audiences for an evening," says a statement on the church's newsroom website, lds.org, "but the Book of Mormon as a volume of scripture will change people's lives forever by bringing them closer to Christ."
For Latter-day Saints, the Book of Mormon is their signature scripture. First published in 1830, it tells the story of God's dealings with Israelite civilizations in the New World and is highlighted by a visit to the Americas by the resurrected Jesus.
For the satirical whizzes at "South Park," it offers a vehicle for their latest creation of raunch meets wit. The new musical purportedly tells the story of two mismatched Mormon missionaries preaching in Uganda.
A "special, super-secret, sneak-peak performance" of the play's first 25 minutes took place Jan. 31 in a rehearsal room in New York City, according to southparkstudios.com.
Preview performances will begin Feb. 24 at Broadway's Eugene O'Neill Theatre.
"It's not nearly as harsh on Mormonism as you might expect," writes Cinema Blend's Katey Rich, who attended the abbreviated showing. "The two central Mormon characters are goofy but also relatable, and though Parker and Stone are having fun with the notion of an omnipotent God, it also seems that religious and nonreligious folks will be able to walk out thinking the show is on their side."
The Salt Lake Tribune