THE Mormons are coming to Bradford!
Smash hit show The Book of Mormon - hailed as ‘The best musical of this century’ by the New York Times - will be at the Alhambra theatre for the first time later this year.
The global hit musical written by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, creators of South Park, and Robert Lopez, who co-wrote the songs for Disney’s Frozen and Coco and co-created the musical Avenue Q, is the first and only double ‘EGOT’ winner, having won all four major entertainment awards, Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Awards, at least twice.
The Book of Mormon follows a pair of Mormon boys sent on a mission to a place that’s a long way from their home in Salt Lake City.
Since its world premiere in 2011 in New York, where it won nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical, The Book of Mormon has been performed on three continents and won more than 30 international awards. It has smashed box office records in New York, London, Melbourne, Sydney and cities across America.
The London production opened in 2013, setting the record for the highest single day of sales in West End history, and went on to win four Olivier Awards, including Best New Musical.
The announcement that the show is coming to the Alhambra comes as a report into Bradford Theatres reveals an already almost fully programmed for 2025 - the year the district will celebrate being UK City of Culture.
Bradford Council runs four theatres in the district: the Alhambra Theatre, the Studio, St George’s Hall and King’s Hall in Ilkley. In the 2022/23 financial year, more than 380,000 visited the venues, with the Alhambra accounting for 280,476 of those visits.
The report, by Bradford Council, says there have been positive signs in the past year, with shows like The Lion King in 2022 boosting visitors, and it says that Bradford’s City of Culture title is expected to further boost the district’s arts venues, including its Council-run theatres.
The report, which went to Bradford Council’s Regeneration and Environment Scrutiny Committee in December, says: “Theatres have embedded into our programming the opportunities brought by the award of City of Culture 2025.
“The Alhambra Theatre is almost fully programmed throughout the year, with a regional exclusive run of Hamilton announced and due to go on sale in the New Year. A number of other show announcements will be made in early 2024.”
Other hits shows coming to the Alhambra this year include Wicked and Aladdin.
* The Book of Mormon is at Alhambra from November 5-23. Tickets go on sale on Monday, January 15 at 10am on (01274) 432000 and bradford-theatres.co.uk
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