"The Book of Mormon" Celebrates 15 Years on Broadway with Starry Anniversary Performance and Savage New Epstein Joke Dave QuinnFri, March 20, 2026 at 10:33 PM UTC 0 Trey Parker, Matt Stone, and Robert Lopez speak onstage during 'The Book of Mormon' 15th anniversary celebration performance at Eugene O'Neill Theatre on March 19, 2026 in New York CityCredit: Jamie McCarthy/Getty The Book of Mormon celebrated its 15th anniversary with a starstudded performance and a new Jeffrey Epstein joke Original cast members reunited onstage and at afterparties alongside the current Broadway company and alumni...
"The Book of Mormon" Celebrates 15 Years on Broadway with Starry Anniversary Performance and Savage New Epstein Joke
Dave QuinnFri, March 20, 2026 at 10:33 PM UTC
0
Trey Parker, Matt Stone, and Robert Lopez speak onstage during 'The Book of Mormon' 15th anniversary celebration performance at Eugene O'Neill Theatre on March 19, 2026 in New York CityCredit: Jamie McCarthy/Getty -
The Book of Mormon celebrated its 15th anniversary with a star-studded performance and a new Jeffrey Epstein joke
Original cast members reunited onstage and at afterparties alongside the current Broadway company and alumni
Anniversary events include a June reunion week with original stars and a reissued cast recording on special vinyl editions
Thursday, March 19 was a big news day for Mormons.
Hours after ABC pulled the plug on The Bachelorette season starring The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Taylor Frankie Paul, The Book of Mormon marked its 15th anniversary on Broadway with a one-night-only celebration packed with returning stars, deep-cut cameos, and a newly added joke that had the audience buzzing.
PEOPLE was on the scene for the milestone performance, which took place at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre in New York City — where the Tony Award-winning musical has been playing to packed houses since it first opened on March 24, 2011.
The house was packed with Book of Mormon superfans, many dressed as characters from the show itself. All theatergoers were given a tote bag and celebratory 15th anniversary poster, as well as a special-edition Sharpie (the production's exclusive permanent marker for stage door signings and cast encounters).
The cast of 'The Book of Mormon' celebrate 15th anniversary at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre on March 19, 2026 in New York CityCredit: Jamie McCarthy/Getty
That wasn't the only surprise of the evening. During the Act 1 showstopper "Spooky Mormon Hell Dream," which follows Elder Price's guilt-fueled nightmare of eternal damnation, audiences saw a new character among the historical villains tormenting him: convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Epstein — who died in prison in August 2019, at the age of 66 — replaces a previous reference to Jeffrey Dahmer. Genghis Khan, Adolf Hitler and Johnnie Cochran join him.
The biting addition landed in a production that has never shied away from provocation, even as it celebrates more than a decade as one of Broadway's biggest hits.
Speaking onstage after the curtain call, the show's creators — South Park scribes Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and EGOT winner Robert Lopez — opened up about the decision to swap Epstein into the story.
"I want to talk about the Epstein joke, that's what I want to talk about," Stone said.
"You guys were the first to see the Epstein joke tonight!" Parker added. "We spent three months on the rewrite, and it was finally here tonight!"
Lopez deadpanned, "I think that's easy."
Trey Parker and Matt Stone during 'The Book of Mormon' 15th anniversary celebration performance at Eugene O'Neill Theatre on March 19, 2026 in New York CityCredit: Jamie McCarthy/Getty
The trio also shared their gratitude with the supporters who have kept The Book of Mormon going all these years.
"15 years, I can't believe it," said Lopez. "Thank you so much. We are so thankful for our fans and for everyone who came out tonight. We're kicking off a big celebration, 15 years of The Book of Mormon. Who would have ever thought! And we just want to thank everyone who is part of this big Mormon family."
"We want to thank this cast; we want to thank all the cast, all the crew here and all the crews in the past," Parker continued, before lead producer Anne Garefino was brought up. "It doesn't happen without Anne."
Advertisement
Andrew Rannells and Rory O'Malley during 'The Book of Mormon' 15th anniversary celebration performance at Eugene O'Neill Theatre on March 19, 2026 in New York CityCredit: Jamie McCarthy/Getty
The anniversary performance doubled as a reunion. Original stars Andrew Rannells and Rory O'Malley returned to the stage post-show for a final sing-off, greeted by a theater filled with alumni.
Members of the original ensemble watched from the side boxes, while additional former cast members were spotted in the audience. All gathered together for an alumni party at the Time Hotel, and the afterparty at Grand Brasserie.
Original ensemble members in attendance included Nikki M. James, Scott Barnhardt, Justin Bohon, Graham Bowen, Tyson Jennette, Clark Johnsen, John Eric Parker, Benjamin Schrader, Michael James Scott, Brian Sears, Lawrence Stallings, Rema Webb and Maia Nkenge Wilson. Other alums on the guest list were PJ Adzima, Stephen Ashfield, Nikki Renee Daniels, Kim Exum, Jared Gertner, Carole Jones, Christopher O'Neill, Nic Rouleau, Nick Spangler, Kyle Selig and Cody Jamison Strand.
They were joined by the current Broadway company, led by Kevin Clay, Diego Enrico, Sydney Quildon, Charlie Franklin, Jacques C. Smith and Jay Wilkison, alongside Derrick Williams, Randy Aaron, J. Casey Barrett, Jack Baugh, Thomas Doelger, C.K. Edwards, Rosharra Francis, Garfield Hammonds, Arica Jackson, Kristen Jeter, Teralin Elise Jones, Joshua Keen, Vance Klassen, John K. Kramer, Tony Moreno, Andrew Nelin, Darium Nichols, Connor Olney, John Pinto Jr., Andrew Stevens Purdy, J Nycole Ralph, Jamard Richardson, Jasmin Richardson and Racquel Williams.
Matt Stone, Robert Lopez, Andrew Rannells and Rory O'Malley perform onstage during 'The Book of Mormon' 15th anniversary celebration performance at Eugene O'Neill Theatre on March 19, 2026 in New York CityCredit: Jamie McCarthy/Getty
— sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
The Book of Mormon is currently the 10th longest-running Broadway musical of all time and remains the longest-running show in the 100-year history of the Eugene O'Neill Theatre.
Choreographed by Casey Nicholaw and directed by Nicholaw and Parker, it continues to play internationally, with productions in London's West End and on tour across the U.K., Australia and North America.
The celebrations for The Book of Mormon's 15th anniversary are only beginning.
As previously announced, the show will host a "Magical Mormon Mystery Week" from June 9 through June 14, bringing back original stars Rannells, Josh Gad, Nikki M. James and O'Malley to perform select scenes and songs alongside the current cast.
The celebratory week marks the first event of its kind on Broadway for any musical. No two performances will be the same, with additional surprise appearances expected from members of the extended Mormon family, including original ensemble and Ugandan cast members.
Parker, Stone and Lopez will be there, too, with Parker playing Joseph Smith and Jesus. "We're not nearly as talented as these people, so it might not be that good," he joked.
The celebration will continue beyond the stage. The original Broadway cast recording will be reissued on June 26 in special 15th anniversary editions via Ghostlight Records, available on crystal-clear vinyl, black vinyl and CD, complete with a booklet featuring full lyrics, production photos and new commentary from Parker, Stone and Lopez alongside music supervisor Stephen Oremus in conversation with David Pogue.
Tickets for The Book of Mormon are now on sale.
on People
Source: "AOL Entertainment"
Source: Entertainment
Published: March 20, 2026 at 06:45PM on Source: PRIME TIME
#ShowBiz#Sports#Celebrities#Lifestyle