The Broadway musical The Book of Mormon celebrated its 15th anniversary on Broadway with a week of special cameo appearances by its original cast members. Marking the milestone on Fresh Air, host Terry Gross celebrated the enduring power of the show, noting that "The Book of Mormon is celebrating its fifteenth anniversary on Broadway" after originally receiving nine Tonys. Gross walked listeners through the premise of the show, noting how it "revolves around two young Mormon men who are very excited that they've reached the age where they're assigned to a mission."
Original star Josh Gad joined the program to look back on his time with the show, admitting he was starting from scratch when he first took the role. On Fresh Air, he recalled that "going into the process of Book of Mormon, I actually, I did not know a lot about the Mormon Church" and "had to sort of research a lot about it." Despite his lack of initial familiarity, his performance helped define the show's comedic tone.
The retrospective also highlighted the physical demands of the production, particularly the vocal strain of its demanding score. Terry Gross introduced a clip of co-star Andrew Rannells "singing I Believe" from the original cast recording, a song that requires immense vocal control. While the anniversary broadcast leaned heavily into nostalgia, some theater critics and commentators continue to debate whether the show's provocative, mid-2000s satire of Ugandan poverty and Mormon theology holds up as well today as it did fifteen years ago.