There are a lot of things I expect to find in Times Square.
Tourists. Jammed sidewalks. Street vendors. More tourists. Theatres. Traffic. Hey look — more tourists.
But ads for the Mormons — not the musical, the church — on every surface?
That’s a bit surprising.
The ad campaign by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was launched last week in Times Square in an attempt to re-brand the Mormon faith as “normal.”
The ads feature photos of ethnically-diverse, regular people. One guy is even riding a motorcycle.
Yep. Looks pretty normal from here.
Why the LDS church chose now to launch their campaign can be debated. Is it because of the upcoming presidential campaign, which includes a Mormon GOP candidate? I don’t know; he’s run before without their intervention.
Or is the timing and location of the campaign in response to the wildly successful Broadway show The Book of Mormon, which won nine Tonys (including Best Musical) and will no doubt go on to do a national tour?
If so, Church Fathers, worry no more. The Book of Mormon is one of the most positive things to happen to your religion since the golden plates. Everyone who walks out of the theatre knows more about your faith and the commonalities it shares with their own.
The humor unites us. The ads?
They’re just more traffic.
God save the people
So, by now you’ve all heard about The Book of Mormon on Broadway.
Well, get ready.
Obviously, I’m not gonna trash the show. I’ve seen it twice. It was a religious experience…the good kind.
What I do want to complain about is the barrage of celebrity backstage visits at BOM — with accompanying pics that get tweeted out into the stratosphere ad nauseam.
Talk about overkill.
Even the BOM producers bragged when Oprah descended upon the show this past Saturday night. They immediately posted pics on their Facebook page.
Well…isn’t that special.
Now, I get as star struck as the next person, but in this instance, I have to cry FOUL.
Ever since the show was declared “the musical of the century” by The New York Times, BOM tix have been near impossible to procure by mere mortals like you and me. Celebs are a different story altogether.
If anything, the backstage and onstage photos ops should be given to Joe and Jane Nobody — not the folks who are already breathing the rarefied air in the premium seats.
Come on, BOM — God is watching.
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Posted in Broadway, Celebrities, Commentary, Entertainment, Humor, Life, Photography, Travel
Tagged Andrew Rannells, backstage, Broadway, celebrities, commentary, entertainment, Humor, Katie Couric, life, Manhattan, musical of the century, New York City, Oprah Winfrey, premium seats, religious experience, summer, The Book of Mormon, The Book of Mormon musical, The New York Times, Tony Awards, Travel