Best Of: 'Book of Mormon' turns 15 / Actor Clarke Peters
6/13/202648 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. 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, how their voices have changed, and how the songs in 'The Book of Mormon' are a tribute to musical theater.
Also, Clarke Peters played Det. Lester Freamon in ‘The Wire’ and now plays a retiree in the supernatural thriller ‘The Boroughs.’ He spoke to Terry Gross about both series, and about his continued work as an actor. “I picked this profession so that I would have longevity, so that I could still be acting at 100, if it comes to it,” he says.
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First 90 secondsSpeaker 00:00
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Terry Gross· Host0:21
[Instrumental music] From WHYY in Philadelphia, I'm Terry Gross with Fresh Air Weekend. The Book of Mormon is celebrating its 15th year on Broadway. We'll hear from two of the original stars, Josh Gad and Andrew Rannells. The show is beloved and/or offensive, which isn't surprising considering it was co-created by Matt Stone and Trey Parker, the creators of South Park. Gad remembers the first time he heard the show's song Hasa Diga Eebowai.
Josh Gad· Guest0:53
I [laughs] called my agent at the time and I said, "I don't think I can do this show." And he said, "Why?" And I said, "I, because I don't want to get killed."
Terry Gross· Host1:02
Later, actor Clark Peters, whose breakout role was in the HBO series The Wire as police detective Lester Freamon. He co-starred as a Vietnam vet in Spike Lee's Da 5 Bloods and co-stars in the new series The Burrows. [upbeat music] That's coming up on Fresh Air Weekend.
Speaker 51:20
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