Not strictly speaking a Seattle production, I nevertheless inaugurate this column with one of the best original Broadway cast recordings of all time, Trey Parker and Matt Stone's The Book of Mormon, which is currently available for a free listen, for a limited time, to everyone on the planet who LIKES South Park on Facebook. I presume that includes Seattle. I haven't seen the show but this collection of songs is a monumental achievement. Equal parts Jesus Christ, Superstar, Pacific Overtures, Hair, Cat Ballou, Candide, and any random Looney Tune, this collection of tunes starts out great and just keeps getting better.

 

Oh, go ahead, start with Act II if you must. If there's one song that will clue you into the fact you're listening to a masterpiece, start with I Believe, a hilarious song that is also so sincere, I won't be surprised if the Mormon Tabernacle Choir covers it one day. From there, it keeps getting better. Baptize Me is a demented duet right out of Aladdin, I Am Africa will certainly never be covered by anybody so you've got to hear it here, and Tomorrow is a Latter Day, with its passion and interweaving songs, would do Leonard Bernstein proud.

 

Giving away these songs to what is currently 26,752,463 South Park fans might seem an odd move, but I guarantee you that letting the masses listen to this is going to sell out the show for years. I myself will be driven to distraction for the rest of my life until I am able to apply visuals to so many of the most insane songs I've ever heard.

 

REVIEW FROM THE FUTURE!

 

Go see whatever production of The Book of Mormon first appears in Seattle.