Andrew Rannells & Josh Gad look back on 15 years of ‘Book of Mormon’
6/8/202645 min
Fifteen years after ‘The Book of Mormon’ made its Broadway debut, original cast members Andrew Rannells and Josh Gad once again took the stage as Mormon missionaries — this time at the 2026 Tony Awards. Created and written by Trey Parker and Matt Stone (the duo behind ‘South Park’), along with veteran Broadway composer Robert Lopez, ‘The Book of Mormon’ follows two young missionaries sent to try and bring Mormonism to a Ugandan village. The musical is a satirical — sometimes affectionate, sometimes offensive — look at Mormonism and youthful naïveté. Rannells and Gad spoke with Terry Gross about their first impressions of the show, mishaps onstage, and regretting their decision to leave when they did.
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Transcript preview
First 90 secondsIra Glass0:00
This is Ira Glass. On This American Life, one thing we like is a good mystery. Sometimes about really big things, but most times the little mysteries are the best Our lost and found is currently filled with pants.
Josh Gad· Guest0:12
I don't know w- I, I, I've never seen this happen.
Andrew Rannells· Guest0:15
Wait, this is true?
Josh Gad· Guest0:16
This is true.
Ira Glass0:17
Mysteries of every size each week. This American Life, wherever you get your podcasts.
Terry Gross· Host0:23
This is Fresh Air. I'm Terry Gross. This week, The Book of Mormon is celebrating its 15th anniversary on Broadway. It received nine Tonys, including Best Musical and Best Score. My guests were two of the stars of the original Broadway cast, Andrew Rannells and Josh Gad. They're back this week making cameo appearances in every show as part of the anniversary celebration. Several other members of the original cast, as well as the show's creators, will be making cameos, too. Rannells was still in The Book of Mormon when he started shooting Girls as the character Elijah, Hannah's good friend. He was in the Broadway productions of Jersey Boys, Hairspray, and Falsettos, and is now starring with Allison Janney in the new HBO movie Miss You, Love You. Josh Gad was one of the lead voices in Frozen as Olaf the Snowman, and that animated film became a phenomenon. He's currently planning to direct a Chris Farley biopic. The Book of Mormon revolves around two young Mormon men who are very excited