New leading men announced for The Book of Mormon
by Oliver Mitford on Monday 28 July 2014, 11:59 am in Cast Changes and Announcements
After the multi award-winning success of the original West End duo of Gavin Creel and Jared Gertner, the boys are leaving the London production of The Book of Mormon to make way for two new American actors to take on the roles of Elder Price and Elder Cunningham.
It has been announced that A.J. Homes will play Elder Cunningham and Billy Harrigan Tighe will play Elder Price. Both Broadway regulars, A.J. Holmes played Elder Cunningham in all three North American productions of The Book of Mormon and starred in the US Tour of Young Frankenstein. Billy Harrigan Tighe has appeared in the recent Broadway productions of Hairspray, La Cage Aux Folles and Pippin. The pair is due to join the current cast of Stephen Ashfield and Alexia Khadime from 28 July 2014.
The Book of Mormon opened at the Prince of Wales Theatre in the West End in March last year and has gone on to break box-office records, proving just as popular as the original Broadway production that is still running in New York City.
Created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the boys behind South Park, The Book of Mormon also features music and lyrics from Robert Lopez, the brains behind Avenue Q. The show tells the story of two Mormon missionaries that are sent to Uganda to spread the word of their religion, but Africa is a long way away from the relative comfort of their home in Salt Lake City, Utah, and not everyone is happy to see these two immature and adolescent Mormon friends.
The Book of Mormon is currently running at the Prince of Wales Theatre, with the new cast members joining from 28 July 2014.