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# As 'The Book of Mormon' turns 15, its original stars pop in to say 'Hello!'

By Terry Gross

Monday, June 8, 2026 • 12:54 PM EDT

Heard on Fresh Air

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 that's struggling with the AIDS epidemic, war and famine. The musical
is a satirical — sometimes affectionate, sometimes offensive — look at
Mormonism and youthful naïveté. It was clear from the very first number —
"Hello!" — that the show would cause a stir when it debuted in 2011.

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Related Story: NPR

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Gad, who played Elder Cunningham in the original Broadway cast, remembers
"laugh[ing] my butt off" when he first heard "Hello!" Then Gad listened to
"Hasa Diga Eebowai," a song in which the Ugandan villagers curse God, and he
called his agent.

"I said, 'I don't think I can do this show,'" Gad recalls. "And he said,
'Why?' And I said, 'Because I don't want to get killed.'"

Meanwhile, Rannells, who played Elder Price, wasn't phased by the material: "I
heard the humor in it and I felt very confident that people were going to
think it was funny," Rannells says. "I certainly didn't think it would be
still running on Broadway after 15 years and would have toured to Salt Lake
City. I didn't think that they would have done that, but it did."

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Related Story: NPR

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_The Book of Mormon_ received nine Tony Awards in 2011, including best musical
and best score. To celebrate its Broadway anniversary, Gad and Rannells will
be making cameo appearances in every show this week — along with the show's
creators and several other original cast members. Gad says that behind the
satire, _The Book of Mormon_ is actually a "very pro-faith show."

"If you stick with the craziness and chaos ... the end is very uplifting," he
says. "It's actually quite emotional and soaring. And so you get this sense
that there is something positive to come out of this hellscape that the show
depicts."

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### Interview highlights

 **On connecting with Mormon missionaries in New York City while in rehearsal
for _The Book of Mormon_**

 **Rannells:** When we were in rehearsals for the workshop, I decided that I
should be a good little actor, and I should go to the Mormon temple and I
should meet with some Mormon missionaries. So I got myself ensnared in a very
strange relationship with these two young men, who I met with a handful of
times and they were so excited that someone wanted to talk to them and that I
solicited them. We met twice, like out near Lincoln Center where there is the
big Mormon church. And then they said, "Can we come to your home?" ...

So these two Mormon missionaries came over and immediately there's a picture
of my boyfriend and I like on the mantel and so I had to explain to them that
I was like, I'm actually in a musical about the Mormon church and they were
sort of shocked. But then they really ... opened up to me about how scary and
disappointing it was to be a missionary at times, and especially being a
missionary in New York City. They were like, "No one will speak to us. People
are very mean to us." And then I was like, "Well, where are you hanging out?"
And they're like, "They send us to Times Square," and I was like, "You've got
to get out of Times Square. You cannot be hanging out in Times Square, boys.
You should go someplace else. Don't try to talk to people there. It's not safe
for you."

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Youtube Video

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**On how their voices have changed in the past 15 years**

 **Gad:** I was insulted yesterday when our producer came up to me and said
"You sound so much better than you did back when you first did it." I was like
what did I really not sound good when I first did it?

 **Rannells:** No you sounded great. … I think you sound the same. I mean,
look, our voices are different. Fifteen years, there's a lot of wear and tear.
But some of it is muscle memory, I would say, some of it comes back. I got to
perform this number, "I Believe," on Stephen Colbert's show. That was the
number that I sang on the Tony Awards… It was still somewhere like lodged in
my voice.

 **Gad:** When I found out I was doing this I played the album in the car, and
I started to sing along, and some of those high notes, I just was like, "Oh my
god I can't! How am I gonna hit these?" And I actually asked them to lower it,
and they laughed and said no, and then I started to sort of do it on my feet.
And just like you said, something clicks. It's like riding a bike. It's just
sort of in there somewhere

 **Rannells:** Now the physical side of it, Terry, is a little different.
Physically doing some of these numbers, that's where the aging process really
catches up to you. … I can't dance as much as I used to. The singing part is a
little easier to control. The physical, the knees, the getting up and down off
the ground, that's all a little bit different.

 **On losing his voice during a show**

 **Rannells** : That happened many times.. … Over the course of my career,
that's something that happens, not just in _The Book of Mormon_ , but in other
shows. You learn to sing through sickness. I think there are nights where
there are certain notes missing in your voice all of a sudden, and you don't
find out until you're on stage in front of 1,200 people, and you're like, "Oh
boy." And you just have to figure out a way to sing around it. After previews,
after opening, after the Tony Awards, I hadn't missed any performances. And I
started my career as a replacement, as an understudy. I was not accustomed to
the idea that I could call out of a show. I probably shouldn't have done the
show that night, but I remember it was like a couple weeks after the Tony
Awards and I sang this duet that that Josh and I sing called "You and Me (But
Mostly Me)" and it was kind of a disaster, but I just continue with the show
and I was like, I'm gonna try to make this work.

 **Gad:** It was actually remarkable to watch.

 **Rannells:** I got through "I Believe," somehow and sang the whole thing and
I amazed myself that I could do it. And then I got to another song that's
called "Orlando," I'm not sure if you remember this Josh, and it's supposed to
end with a little falsetto thing … and instead I went [low] … and the curtain
flew up and all the missionaries come out and everyone was laughing and it was
not great. But after the bows that night, I walked off stage and I remember
Karen Moore, our stage manager, was standing there and I burst into tears, and
I said, "I have to miss a show." And she said, "You're allowed to miss a
show." And I just cried and cried about it. It had never occurred to me.

 **On the songs in _The Book of Mormon_ being a tribute to musical theater,
influenced by _Wicked, The King and I, The Lion King_ and _The Music Man_**

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Related Story: NPR

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**Gad:** The influences of each of these songs [come] from a place of absolute
weird devotion to musical theater on the part of Trey Parker and Matt Stone.
Obviously Bobby Lopez comes from that world. But when you look at Trey and
Matt, the first thing you think of is not necessarily, like, musical theater
acumen. And these are two guys that people forget when they wrote _South Park_
: _Bigger, Longer & Uncut_, the feature film adaptation of the Comedy Central
show, they got a letter from Stephen Sondheim, who's probably the most
acclaimed composer and lyricist of the 20th century. And he basically said
this is one of the top 10 most brilliantly realized musicals he's ever seen.

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Related Story: NPR

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And I really do think that part of the reason this show endures is because
each one of these songs is instantaneously hummable. … Each one of these songs
reminds you of something, but it's never pastiche. It's never sort of making
fun of a genre. It is fully embracing it and earning its space. So you have an
11 o'clock number in "I Believe" that is as powerful, potent, and as
mesmerizing and memorable as an 11 o'clock number from _Guys and Dolls_.

 **Rannells:** Well, I think, and a lot of people would come to see _The Book
of Mormon_ and say, "Ah, I don't really like musicals, but I do like this
one." Which is always funny to me, because every number was — I don't wanna
say a ripoff — but was a tribute.

 **On making the decision to leave the show and later regretting it**

 **Rannells:** We did leave at the same time. Josh and I both had this very
unique experience where we opened _The Book of Mormon_ , we were both
nominated for Tony Awards, we both lost those Tony Awards. … We then went out
to Los Angeles. … We had a bunch of meetings in LA. We were very popular.
These two guys from the biggest Broadway hit, everyone wanted to meet with us.
We both got TV shows for NBC. Josh's was called _1600 Penn_. Mine was called
_The New Normal_. They both aired the same week. We went to the up fronts
together. They were both canceled.

**Gad:** Same week. ... I was definitely, I think, more done than Andrew was
by that point. ... I had checked out at that point, and I felt like I was
doing a disservice to myself and the audience.

 **Rannells:** You didn't seem like you were checked out.

 **Gad:** No, but I started forgetting lines on stage. I wasn't present. ... I
had also been doing it for so long, from its origin. I wanted to try new
things. When I sort of do the same thing again and again, I start to get
bored. … I look back at that now with a lot of regret. Because I don't think I
appreciated this incredible moment until I was able to reflect on it,
actually, years later. Because when you're in it, when you are in the eye of
the hurricane there's a lot going on that you can't stop and settle yourself
and go, oh my God, this is a moment that I'll never have again. This is so
unbelievably unique. ...

 **Rannells:** I wish that I had stayed longer.

 **Gad:** I wish we had done another year.

 _Susan Nyakundi and John Sheehan produced and edited this interview for
broadcast. Bridget Bentz, Molly Seavy-Nesper and Beth Novey adapted it for the
web._ ** __**

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### Transcript

TERRY GROSS, HOST:

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
that they've reached the age where they're assigned to a mission. They're
hoping to be sent to an exciting, beautiful place, but they're assigned to
Uganda, which is dealing with the AIDS epidemic, war and famine. The show is a
satirical but kind of affectionate, but could also be considered kind of
offensive, look at Mormon beliefs and the naivete of some young men. It was
created and written by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of "South
Park," along with Robert Lopez, who co-wrote the songs for "Frozen" and
"Avenue Q."

A 15th anniversary remastered edition of the original "Book Of Mormon" cast
recording, along with new liner notes and photos, will be released later this
month. Let's start with the opening song - "Hello!" - as the young
missionaries are being trained on how to go door to door proselytizing. We'll
hear the opening of the song featuring Rannells and the conclusion of the song
featuring Josh Gad.

(SOUNDBITE OF DOORBELL)

ANDREW RANNELLS: (As Elder Price, singing) Hello. My name is Elder Price, and
I would like to share with you the most amazing book.

(SOUNDBITE OF DOORBELL)

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #1: (As Elder Grant, singing) Hello. My name is Elder
Grant. It's a book about America a long, long time ago.

(SOUNDBITE OF DOORBELL)

RANNELLS: (As Elder Price, singing) It has so many awesome parts.

(SOUNDBITE OF DOORBELL)

RANNELLS: (As Elder Price, singing) You simply won't believe how much this
book can change your life.

(SOUNDBITE OF DOORBELL)

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #1: (As Elder Grant, singing) Hello.

(SOUNDBITE OF BUZZING)

JOSH GAD: (As Elder Cunningham) Hello. Would you like to change religions? I
have a free book written by Jesus.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #2: (As character) No, no, Elder Cunningham. That's not how
we do it. You're making things up again. Just stick to the approved dialogue.
Elders, show him.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTORS: (As characters, singing) Hello.

GAD: (As Elder Cunningham) Hello.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTORS: (As characters, singing) My name is.

GAD: Elder Cunningham.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTORS: (As characters, singing) And we would like to share with
you this book Jesus Christ.

RANNELLS: (As Elder Price) Hello.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #1: (As Elder Grant) Hello.

GROSS: Josh Gad, Andrew Rannells, welcome back to FRESH AIR. Congratulations
on the 15th anniversary.

RANNELLS: Thank you.

GAD: Thank you.

RANNELLS: Thanks for having us back.

GROSS: I'm delighted to have you here. I love that song. I think it's a great
opening to the show. I'm wondering, since it's all about two missionaries
training to go door to door, did you have people coming to your door when you
were growing up who were Mormons trying to convert you?

RANNELLS: I grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, and there is a pretty large Mormon
population there, as well as a large Jehovah's Witness population. So we did.
But I grew up extremely Catholic, and not that we weren't kind to these young
people when they came to the door, but it was - I think it was something that
we were definitely warned about. If my mother saw these people, like, coming
up the steps, she'd be like, oh, boy, here they come.

GROSS: Did she ever let them in?

RANNELLS: Oh, no. We weren't...

GROSS: Did you try to convert them?

RANNELLS: No. We didn't go that far either. I think she was just like, oh,
we're Catholic, and, you know, but thanks for stopping by.

(LAUGHTER)

GROSS: And, Josh, what about you?

GAD: I grew up in South Florida, and Hollywood, Florida, did not have many
Mormons...

RANNELLS: No?

GAD: ...From what I remember, knocking on our door. It was only sort of later
- going into the process of "Book Of Mormon," actually, I did not know a lot
about the Mormon Church. I had to sort of research a lot.

RANNELLS: Terry, I do - just very quickly, when we were in rehearsals for the
workshop, I decided that I should be a real - like, a good little actor, and I
should go to the Mormon temple.

GAD: I remember this.

RANNELLS: And I should meet with some Mormon missionaries. So I got myself
ensnared in a very strange relationship with these two young men...

(LAUGHTER)

RANNELLS: ...Who I met with a handful of times, and they were so excited that
someone wanted to talk to them and that I solicited them. And then they said,
can we come to your home? And I lived with my boyfriend at the time. And the
apartment was, like - it was pretty clear two gay men lived there. I mean, it
was, like, real, like, mid-century off the charts. You know what I'm saying?

(LAUGHTER)

RANNELLS: And so I was like, you know what? Let's let them come in. So these
two Mormon missionaries came over, and there's, like - immediately, there's
like a picture of my boyfriend and I, like, on the mantle. And so I had to
explain to them that I was like, I'm actually in a musical about the Mormon
Church, and they were sort of shocked. But then it was so helpful because they
really opened up to me about how scary and disappointing it was to be a
missionary at times, and especially being a missionary in New York City. They
were like, no one will speak to us. People are very...

GAD: Right.

RANNELLS: ...Mean to us. And then I was like, well, where are you hanging out?
They're like, well, they send us to Times Square. And I was like, well, you
got to get out of Times Square. You cannot be hanging out in Times Square,
boys.

GAD: (Laughter).

GROSS: How have your voices changed in the past 15 years? You've sung a lot.
You've done a lot. You're older.

GAD: I was insulted yesterday when our producer came up to me and said, you
sound so much better than you did back when you first did it.

RANNELLS: Really?

GAD: Yes. And I was like, what? Did I really not sound good when I first did
it?

RANNELLS: No, you sounded great.

GAD: You can tell me now, Andrew.

RANNELLS: No, you sounded fantastic.

GROSS: Well, you don't know how - is that a compliment or an insult?

GAD: Well, that's what I'm wondering.

RANNELLS: I think you sound the same. I mean, look, our voices are different.
Fifteen years.

GAD: Right.

RANNELLS: You know, there's a lot of wear and tear. You know, some of it is
muscle memory. I would say some of it comes back. I got to perform this
number, I believe, on Stephen Colbert's show that was the number that I sang
on the Tony Awards.

GAD: You sounded fantastic.

RANNELLS: Well, that's very nice. But that weirdly, as we were rehearsing it,
like, it was still somewhere, like, lodged in my voice.

GAD: Yeah.

RANNELLS: And I think you're having a similar...

GAD: Same thing. When I found out I was doing this, I played the album in the
car, and I started to sing along. And some of those high notes, I just was
like, oh, my God, I can't - how am I going to hit these?

RANNELLS: Yeah.

GAD: And I actually asked them to lower it, and they laughed and said no.

(LAUGHTER)

GAD: And then I started to sort of do it on my feet. And just like you said,
(snapping fingers) something clicks, and it all sort of, like - it's like
riding a bike. It's just sort of in there somewhere.

RANNELLS: Now, the physical side of it, Terry...

GAD: Ooh, boy. Yeah.

RANNELLS: ...Is a little different.

GAD: Yeah.

RANNELLS: Physically doing some of these numbers, that's where the aging
process really catches up to you.

GROSS: You mean, like, you can't sing as much, as long?

RANNELLS: Well, you can't - I can't dance as much as I used to. The singing
part is a little easier to control. The physical - the knees, the getting up
and down off the ground - that's all a little bit different.

GAD: Although, you're lucky. You don't have to do any of the big dance
numbers.

RANNELLS: That's not a coincidence.

GROSS: (Laughter).

RANNELLS: I said no...

GAD: Why didn't I say no to that?

RANNELLS: ...To all of that. They were like, do you want to do this big dance
number? And I said, no, thank you.

GROSS: When you first read the book for the "Book Of Mormon" and then heard
the songs, what was your reaction? Because depending on who you are, it's
hilarious or incredibly offensive.

RANNELLS: You know, the script changed so heavily, and I don't know what this
says about me that - I remember reading it when I was auditioning for the show
and not being phased by any of it and just sort of like, OK, that sounds
great.

GAD: (Laughter).

RANNELLS: And then because I was - I'm playing this Mormon missionary who is
shocked by all of these things that are being said. So it was very easy to
sort of - you know, to play that part because a lot of it is sort of shocking
and is not your typical musical theater fare. I heard the humor in it, and I
felt very confident that people were going to think it was funny. I certainly
didn't think it would be still running on Broadway after 15 years...

GAD: No.

RANNELLS: ...And would have toured to Salt Lake City. (Laughter) I didn't
think that they would have done that, but it did.

GAD: I was involved from the very first workshop, and I remember getting a
demo and the first song I heard, I laughed my butt off. It was, (singing)
hello (vocalizing). the second song was, (singing) two by two, we're marching
door to door. And these songs were just so fun. And then I got to a song
called "Hasa Diga Eebowai," and at that point (laughter), I 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.

GROSS: So, you know, with "Hasa Diga Eebowai," it's like "Hakuna Matata" from
"The Lion King." And, you know, a general in Uganda sings it, and he's saying,
you know, like, when, like, things are really bad - there's famine, there's
war, everybody has AIDS - but when we think about that, we lift our hands to
the sky and we sing, hasa diga eebowai. And you're expecting that that's going
to be a really inspirational phrase, but what that really means is - you know,
it's an expletive addressed to God. And...

GAD: Yes. Yes.

GROSS: ...That - there are so many people who will never get past that, I'm
sure. And Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of the show - along with
Robert Lopez - when I interviewed them, they said, that's the point where you
know, like, who's in and who is out.

RANNELLS: That is true.

GROSS: (Laughter).

RANNELLS: That is true.

GAD: I guess my answer would be I'm shocked, 15 years later, at how many
people are in.

RANNELLS: Are in. Well, but I think it speaks to people who are having - you
know, there are horrible things that are happening around them, horrible
things that are happening to them, and it speaks to this fear of the absence
of God in those moments. So I think Trey and Matt and Bobby (ph) have written
something that I think really pulls from, like, a deep truth that a - or a
deep fear that people have, which is, is there a God? Where has God gone? And
it's set to this really sort of playful, animated music, but the question is,
is there a God in this place?

GROSS: I think it was a few years ago that the Black actors in the cast - the
actors who play the people in Uganda - they requested revisions in the script
because - well, you can tell me more. I mean, they thought that the characters
were depicted in a condescending or offensive way. Can you tell us what kind
of changes were requested and what kind of changes were made?

RANNELLS: Well, you know, this was long after Josh and I had left the
production, so we were not a part of these conversations. But we did have this
conversation with one of the original cast members just yesterday, in fact,
and I think an important thing that he brought up was while we were developing
this show, when the - this whole original cast was - you know, we were a part
of the creation. The - we witnessed the writing changes. Trey and Matt and
Bobby were explaining sort of where these things were coming from, or we were
a part of creating them. And I think, unfortunately, the context of a lot of
these things that we do in the show were not correctly passed on to the
people...

GAD: That's right.

RANNELLS: ...Who then continued with the show. So years after we had created
it, it became sort of this odd game of Telephone, where people would come into
the show and they were told, well, we just do this and we just say this and
they were never given the context. So, you know, rightly so, people had
questions and people wanted answers about, you know, why are we doing this and
why did anyone think this was funny? And so some of it was - specifically, I
can't tell you what exactly was changed, but I think that the larger
conversation that was started was about how it was created and where it came
from.

GROSS: My guests are Andrew Rannells and Josh Gad. They starred in the
original cast of "The Book Of Mormon." This week, as part of the show's 15th
anniversary on Broadway, Rannells and Gad are making cameo appearances in
every performance. We'll be right back. This is FRESH AIR.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONNY ROLLINS' "TOOT, TOOT, TOOTSIE")

GROSS: This is FRESH AIR. Let's get back to my interview with the original
stars of "The Book Of Mormon," Josh Gad and Andrew Rannells. This week, as
part of the show's 15th anniversary on Broadway, they're making cameo
appearances in every performance. Also making surprise cameo appearances will
be other members of the original cast, as well as the show's creators.

So let's hear some music. Let - I want to start with "I Believe." And that's,
like, your big show piece...

RANNELLS: Yeah.

GROSS: ...Andrew, and so I want you to describe the context of this song.

RANNELLS: The context of the song, I mean, Bobby Lopez has been very open
about. It was very much inspired by the song "I Have Confidence" from "The
Sound Of Music." That it is - it's Elder Price sort of building....

GROSS: That's your character.

RANNELLS: My character, Elder Price, sort of building himself up to go back
out and sort of reaffirm his faith. And he's going to double down on this and
he's going to go and try to convert these people in Uganda after, you know, he
arrives and nothing is going the way he wants it to or the way he hoped it
would, and he feels very beaten down. But then he has this moment where he
decides, I can do this. I can do this, and I'm going to start with the village
warlord. That's going to be my guy. And I'm going to start with that guy, and
if I can convert him, then everybody else will fall into place. And so most of
the song is him building himself up to do this.

GROSS: So let's hear Andrew Rannells from the original cast recording of "The
Book Of Mormon" singing "I Believe."

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "I BELIEVE")

RANNELLS: (As Elder Price, singing) I've always longed to help the needy, to
do the things I never dared. This was the time for me to step up, so then why
was I so scared? A warlord who shoots people in the face. What's so scary
about that? I must trust that my Lord is mightier and always has my back. Now
I must be completely devout. I can't have even one shred of doubt. I believe
that the Lord God created the universe. I believe that He sent His only son to
die for my sins. And I believe that ancient Jews built boats and sailed to
America. I am a Mormon, and a Mormon thus believes.

You cannot just believe part way. You have to believe in it all. The problem
was doubting the Lord's will instead of standing tall. I can't allow myself to
have any doubt. It's time to set my worries free. Time to show the world what
Elder Price is about and share the power inside of me. I believe that God has
a plan for all of us. I believe that plan involves me getting my own planet.
And I believe that the current president of the church, Thomas Monson, speaks
directly to God. I am a Mormon, and dang it, a Mormon thus believes.

GROSS: So that was Andrew Rannells from the original cast recording of "The
Book Of Mormon" singing "I Believe." There's some really high notes in that.

RANNELLS: Yeah.

GROSS: And I know one night, you lost your voice...

RANNELLS: Oh, that happened...

GROSS: ...Right before singing it. And you managed to get through the song.

RANNELLS: That happened many times. But, you know, you do a show eight times a
week for over a year...

GROSS: You lost your voice onstage many times?

RANNELLS: I mean, yeah. Over the course of my career, that's something that
happens, I mean, not just in "The Book Of Mormon," but in other shows. Like,
you learn to sing through sickness. And you learn to sing through - I mean,
there are nights where there are certain notes missing in your voice all of a
sudden, and you don't find out until you're onstage in front of 1,200 people,
and you're like, oh, boy. And you just have to figure out a way to sing around
it.

But it was, you know, after previews, after opening, after the Tony Awards. I
hadn't missed any performances. And, you know, I started my career as a
replacement, as an understudy. I just - I was not accustomed to the idea that
I could call out of a show. And I probably shouldn't have done the show that
night. But I remember it was, like, a couple of weeks after the Tony Awards.
And I sang this duet that Josh and I sang called "You And Me (But Mostly Me)."
And it was kind of a disaster, but I just continued. I just continued with the
show, and I was like, I'm going to try to make this work.

GAD: It was actually remarkable to watch.

RANNELLS: (Laughter) But then by the - I don't know. I pulled that very deep
out of my soul. And I got through "I Believe" somehow and, like, sang the
whole thing. And I amazed myself that I could do it. And then I got to another
song that's called "Orlando." I don't know if you remember this, Josh. And
it's supposed to end with a little falsetto thing where I say, (singing) and
I'll never go back to - and I'm supposed to go, (singing) you. And instead, I
went, (singing) never go back to you.

(LAUGHTER)

RANNELLS: And the curtain flew up and all the missionaries come out. And
everyone was laughing.

GAD: Oh, yeah.

RANNELLS: And then after the bows that night, I walked offstage. And I
remember Karen Moore, our stage manager, was standing there. And I burst into
tears and I said, I have to miss a show. And she said, you're allowed to miss
a show. And I just, like, cried and cried about it. It was so - yeah, I didn't
- it had never occurred to me to call out.

GROSS: I sometimes get laryngitis when I get a cold.

RANNELLS: Sure.

GROSS: And I had laryngitis just a few weeks ago. And I always say to myself,
your voice will come back. But there's a little part of my brain saying, what
if it doesn't?

RANNELLS: Absolutely.

GAD: Oh, it's terrifying.

GROSS: Do you go through that?

RANNELLS: Absolutely. Or when your voice is low and all of a sudden, you sound
like, you know, like Kathleen Turner. And you're like, is it...

GROSS: (Laughter) Yeah.

RANNELLS: ...Will it always sound like that?

GROSS: Yes.

GAD: Do you remember when I had Laryngitis opening night of "Gutenberg!"

RANNELLS: Yes. Josh got very sick when we did "Gutenberg!"

GAD: Opening night.

RANNELLS: And we call it Dr. Footlights on Broadway.

GAD: Yeah.

RANNELLS: You can sound terrible, and then all of a sudden, you get onstage.

GAD: Yeah.

RANNELLS: And something - adrenaline happens.

GAD: Yeah.

RANNELLS: And Josh got through this whole two-person show that we did, with a
lot of music in it. And you just did it.

GAD: There was no (laughter)...

RANNELLS: There was no option.

GAD: There was no option. Opening night, two-person show. Not many options.

GROSS: My guests are Josh Gad and Andrew Rannells. They starred in the
original cast of "The Book Of Mormon." This week, as part of the show's 15th
anniversary on Broadway, Rannells and Gad are making cameo appearances in
every performance. We'll be back after a short break. I'm Terry Gross, and
this is FRESH AIR.

(SOUNDBITE OF JACK MCDUFF'S "BROADWAY")

GROSS: This is FRESH AIR. I'm Terry Gross. Let's get back to my interview with
the original stars of "The Book Of Mormon," Josh Gad and Andrew Rannells. This
week, as part of the show's 15th anniversary on Broadway, they're making cameo
appearances in every performance. Also making cameos in surprise performances
through the week will be other original cast members as well as the show's
creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, who also created "South Park," and
Robert Lopez, who also cowrote the songs for "Avenue Q" and "Frozen." Josh Gad
was one of the stars of "Frozen" in the role of Olaf the snowman. Rannells'
other breakthrough performance was in the Lena Dunham series "Girls" as
Elijah, Hannah's friend and former boyfriend. He's now starring with Allison
Janney in the HBO movie "Miss You, Love You."

Well, Josh, let's hear your big number in the show, and this is "Man Up." Do
you want to explain the context?

GAD: Yeah. So, you know, for all of Act 1, Cunningham is a follower - a self-
described follower - and he really looks to...

GROSS: A follower - yeah. I mean, you're, like...

GAD: Of Elder Price.

GROSS: Of Elder Price - like, he's the lead.

GAD: And he actually - you know, there's a duet with the two of them called
"You And Me (But Mostly Me)" where Elder Price sings about the fact that this
is really his journey. And Elder Cunningham can be a sidekick on that journey.
He can, you know, have a small, little part of that journey, but he just
basically needs to stay out of Price's way and follow. And Elder Cunningham is
very happy to do that because he's never had somebody who will actually not
leave and abandon him.

And then something happens over the course of the first act and Cunningham
finds that he's been abandoned again. But for the first time in his life, he
has somebody, in the form of this character Nabulungi, who's one of the
villagers, and she basically tells him, hey, why don't you take the mantle?
Why don't you show us the way forward? And this sparks a light-bulb moment in
Cunningham and he decides that, for the first time in his life, he has an
opportunity to take the reins, to step from the role of sidekick into the role
of the main star. And so this song is that sort of culmination of that
journey.

GROSS: Let's listen to it.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "MAN UP")

GAD: (As Elder Cunningham, singing) What did Jesus do when they sentenced him
to die? Did he try to run away? Did he just break down and cry? No, Jesus dug
down deep, knowing what he had to do. When faced with his own death, Jesus
knew that he had to man up. He had to man up. So he crawled up on that cross
and he stuck it out and he manned up. Christ, he manned up and taught us all
what real manning up is about. And now it's up to me and it's time to man up.
Jesus had his time to, now it's mine to man up. I'm taking the reins, I'm
crossing the bear. Just like Jesus, I'm growing a pair. I've got to stand up,
can't just clam up. It's time to man up. 'Cause there's a time in your life
when you know you've got to man up.

GROSS: So, Josh, do you hear a little bit of "Footloose" in that song?

GAD: (Laughter) I've never thought about that until now. Yeah, it's definitely
- well, it's got a very '80s quality to it. I remember...

RANNELLS: Yeah.

GAD: ...From the very first workshop, that song existed. And actually, the
very first workshop we did, Trey, Matt and Bobby had not written any of Act 2.
So the show just literally ended with "Man Up," but it wasn't an ensemble. It
was just me. And it ended with me basically being like, man up, and that was
it.

RANNELLS: (Laughter).

GAD: And they were like, wait, and it went to black.

RANNELLS: (Laughter).

GAD: And so it - you know, it evolved into what it evolved into. But, you
know, the influences of each of these songs, including "Man Up," comes from a
place of absolute weird devotion to musical theater on the part of Trey Parker
and Matt Stone. Obviously, Bobby Lopez comes from that world, but when you
look at Trey and Matt, the (laughter) - you don't - the first thing you think
of is not necessarily, like, musical theater acumen. And these are two guys
that - people forget - when they wrote "South Park: Bigger, Longer, Uncut,"
(ph) the feature film adaptation of the hit Comedy Central show, they got a
letter from Stephen Sondheim, who's probably the most acclaimed...

RANNELLS: Celebrated.

GAD: ...Composer...

RANNELLS: Yeah.

GAD: ...And lyricist of the 20th century, and he basically said this is one of
the top 10 most brilliantly realized musicals he's ever seen. And I really do
think that the reason - part of the reason this show endures is because each
one of these songs is instantaneously hummable.

RANNELLS: Yeah.

GAD: Each one of these songs - you say "Footloose" in the case of "Man Up" -
but each one of these songs reminds you of something, but it's never pastiche.
It's never sort of making fun of a genre. It is fully embracing it...

RANNELLS: Yeah.

GAD: ...And earning its space.

RANNELLS: Yeah.

GAD: So you have an 11 o'clock number in "I Believe" that is as powerful,
potent and as mesmerizing and memorable as an 11 o'clock number from "Guys And
Dolls."

RANNELLS: Well, I think - and a lot of people would come and - to see "The
Book Of Mormon" and say, ah, I don't really like musicals, but I do like...

GAD: Oh, yeah.

RANNELLS: ...This one, and - which was always funny to me because every number
was - I don't want to say a rip-off, but was a tribute.

GAD: It was homage.

RANNELLS: Like - yeah - "You And Me (But Mostly Me)" is essentially "The
Wizard And I" from "Wicked." And...

GAD: "Turn It Off" - what's "Turn It Off"?

RANNELLS: Don't ask me that one. No, but then, like, the...

GAD: "42nd Street"?

RANNELLS: ...The pageant at the end of...

GAD: "The King And I."

RANNELLS: That's from "The King And I." Like, they built in all of these
moments.

GAD: "Hasa Diga," "Hakuna Matata."

RANNELLS: ""Hakuna Matata," yeah.

GROSS: Well, one of them's kind of like We Got - "Ya Got Trouble" from "The
Music Man."

RANNELLS: Yes.

GAD: Yes.

RANNELLS: Yeah, yeah, yeah. The - "All-American Prophet." Yeah, absolutely.

GROSS: My guests are Andrew Rannells and Josh Gad. They starred in the
original cast of "The Book Of Mormon." This week, as part of the show's 15th
anniversary on Broadway, Rannells and Gad are making cameo appearances in
every performance. We'll be right back. This is FRESH AIR.

(SOUNDBITE OF JON CLEARY SONG, "DYNA-MITE")

GROSS: This is FRESH AIR. Let's get back to my interview with the original
stars of "The Book Of Mormon," Josh Gad and Andrew Rannells. This week, as
part of the show's 15th anniversary on Broadway, they're making cameo
appearances in every performance.

So since we're talking about "The Book Of Mormon," tell me if you grew up with
religion. Well, Andrew, I know you did. You grew up very Catholic.

RANNELLS: Very Catholic.

GROSS: But I'm going to ask you to tell a story which you write about in your
memoir.

RANNELLS: Sure.

GROSS: About how when you were, I think, 16 and in high school, you were
seeing somebody who was in their 40s, who was 40 and was involved with - I
think he was a director of community theater.

RANNELLS: That's right.

GROSS: And you felt like you had to tell somebody about this, that there's
something that didn't seem right. And so you spoke to, of all people, your
priest. Can you tell us what happened?

RANNELLS: Sure. Well, first, just let me clarify that the relationship, if
you'd like to call it that, the situation that I was in with this older man
was one that I felt very trapped in. And I felt that I had been trapped in
this situation by this man in his 40s. I was 16 years old. I didn't quite know
how to get out of it. I didn't feel confident that I could talk to my parents
about it. I didn't really feel like I had any friends that I could talk to
about it. And I went to an all-boys Catholic school. And I decided in
confession one day to tell this priest, who was also a teacher of mine that I
really trusted and really liked, about this relationship in the hopes that he
could maybe give me some guidance to get out of it.

And at the end of the confession, he gave me a hug. And then he kissed me, but
not like a simple kiss, like a full, like, open-mouth kiss. And then that
continued for a couple years, that that priest then felt like he had an open
door to do that to me, which was wild that that's how I - and maybe that's
why, Terry, when I read the script of "The Book Of Mormon" and I was like,
well, I don't really have a problem with satirizing religion (laughter),
because I don't know if I have the greatest relationship with it myself.

GROSS: It's a very #MeToo kind of story.

RANNELLS: Yeah. Yeah.

GROSS: Did you leave - well, you can leave, you can stop going to Sunday
services. You can't stop going to school. Did you tell anyone in the school or
tell your parents?

RANNELLS: No, no. I told my parents later. And I told - when my first book
"Too Much Is Not Enough" came out, then the school did reach out to me and ask
about it. And...

GAD: Did they?

RANNELLS: They did. They did.

GAD: What did they say and what did you say?

RANNELLS: They asked who it was. And I told them specifically who, you know,
which priest it was. And nothing was done about it. It was not like there was
any...

GAD: Consequence.

RANNELLS: There was no consequences to it. But they just wanted to know. And,
you know, looking back, of course, there were a ton of people I could've
talked to about this. There were adults all around me that I could've trusted.

GAD: Yeah, but as a kid, you don't know.

RANNELLS: But as a kid, no. And you feel like I felt like at 16 and 17, that,
like, I should know better. I should know how to do this. I'm an adult, right?
And it's a hard thing with kids.

GAD: Yeah.

RANNELLS: You know, Josh and I both have kids who are, you know, teenagers.
There are going to be moments like that that they will go through that they
might not share with us. And I think that's been the real trick recently, is
trying to figure out what kind of language can you use with your kids or with
nieces and nephews that I am a safe place to come to for anything, for any of
these, you know, anything that happens.

GROSS: Did that end your relationship with the church?

RANNELLS: For a long time. Yeah. Yeah, for a long time. It's interesting how
it kind of swings back around periodically. You know, when I - we'll go to
Omaha for the holidays or whatever. And, you know, my mother will ask us to go
to church. And I used to fight it with her. And now I sort of feel like I can
develop my own relationship with this religion that I actually, a lot of it, I
have really fond memories of going to church as a kid.

I learned a lot from growing up Catholic. And so I don't want to - it wasn't
all negative. So I feel like now, in my 40s, that I'm figuring out a way to,
like, hang onto a little bit of it, it feels a little more cultural than it
does spiritual. But I'm trying to figure out a way to balance that a little
bit more.

GROSS: Josh, let's get to you.

RANNELLS: (Laughter).

GAD: Well, how? How am I going to even begin to go after that story?

RANNELLS: What do you mean?

GAD: That is so compelling.

GROSS: Oh, I have a suggestion.

GAD: Oh, boy.

RANNELLS: Oh, God.

GROSS: I have a suggestion, yes. Your father was from Afghanistan and was
Jewish.

GAD: Oh, yes. That's...

GROSS: And also had a secret family...

GAD: Yes.

GROSS: ...That you didn't know about, a secret family in - I forget which
country in South America.

GAD: Colombia.

GROSS: Colombia, yeah.

GAD: Yes.

GROSS: So just starting with religion...

GAD: So I'll see your priest, Andrew.

RANNELLS: Yeah.

GAD: And raise you an Afghani...

GROSS: (Laughter).

RANNELLS: A secret family.

GAD: ...Secret family in Colombia. Yes.

RANNELLS: Eh.

GAD: No, well, it actually does tie into this theme in that my father was a
very religious Jew. And in the same way that Andrew's story presents a much
more horrific version, but a version of hypocrisy, I saw this man who I love
dearly, and who is my father, but who is very flawed and who is hiding behind
scripture, which openly states thou shalt not do all of the things you're
about to do. And I was very confused because I was being forced to go to
temple every week and walk to synagogue, and keep kosher, and do all of these
things. And this guy is, like, not even getting to the Second Commandment
without breaking.

(LAUGHTER)

GAD: And I was like, OK. So it was very hard because it really was very
confusing seeing, you know, this disciplined version of Judaism be so
undisciplined in his personal life. And the way it ravaged my mother
emotionally and left this sort of wake of chaos in its path was deeply hard
and disturbing.

GROSS: So first of all, your father left the family, I think, when you were 6.

GAD: Mm-hmm.

GROSS: And...

GAD: Introduced me to a brother I didn't ask about or know about...

(LAUGHTER)

GAD: ...And then told me not to tell my mother that I met him, which was very
complicated.

GROSS: Oh, yeah. That's putting a lot of secrecy on your shoulders.

GAD: Yeah. Yeah.

GROSS: Hiding it from your mother, who you were going to continue to live with
while he went...

GAD: Correct.

GROSS: ...To another country. Yeah.

GAD: Correct.

GROSS: So how did that affect your relationship with Judaism?

GAD: You know, it's funny. I find Andrew's answer to actually be a perfect
embodiment of how I view my own relationship with religion, which is I really
enjoy the traditions. I enjoy the spirituality and the historical tentacles of
that spirituality. It ties you to a time, a place, a people that I think is
really interesting. I find my way to faith on my own terms, and I really find
that faith has been useful in some of the hardships that I've gone through in
my life.

Recently, my mom had a medical emergency that came out of left field, and I
will be very honest, I found faith in a place that I haven't been looking in a
long time to find it. And I found it to be at the very least a useful escape,
and maybe even more than that. And, you know, my mom had a very small chance
of surviving and did. And...

GROSS: I'm glad to hear that.

GAD: Thank you. And it's also complicated because my grandparents were both
Holocaust survivors and their families were executed simply for being
followers of a faith. So I can never fully abandon this thing that I've been -
that is my birthright, whether I want it or not. And so I'm - I find that
finally, at 45, I'm able to comfortably define religion on my own terms and
also celebrate it on my own terms. And my wife is Catholic, and we are very,
very open with the children about both of these things. And we celebrate
Christmas and we celebrate Hanukkah. We celebrate Passover. We celebrate
Easter. And what I love is giving them the options that I was never given -
giving them a direction and letting them choose their own path.

GROSS: I think that kind of, like, dual religion is an interesting lesson in
how there are different versions of trying to get to an understanding of the
world, how it exists, what your place in it is, rituals to help you live your
life. There isn't necessarily one correct way - that there's alternate ways
with all having the same goal.

RANNELLS: Well, this brings us back to "The Book Of Mormon" because at the end
of "The Book Of Mormon" Josh's character, Elder Cunningham, basically creates
a new religion based on this weird sort of mashup of, like, "Star Wars"
characters and...

GAD: "Lord Of The Rings."

RANNELLS: ..."Lord Of The Rings," and he sort of mashes it all together.

GAD: And here's where...

RANNELLS: (Laughter).

GAD: ...Our real lives intersect with our characters 'cause...

RANNELLS: (Laughter).

GAD: ...Andrew calls this weird, and I'm like, this is perfectly normal.

RANNELLS: It's totally normal. But it makes sense for the people in this
Ugandan...

GAD: Yes.

RANNELLS: ...Village that he makes the religion make sense.

GROSS: And he's criticized by the...

RANNELLS: By me. Yes. And by the Mormon church.

GROSS: And by the Mormon church for doing this - the character's criticized in
the show. But the character explains that, no, I'm doing this to prevent
people from doing bad things.

RANNELLS: Yes. Yes.

GROSS: And it's true. So you're making up these stories, but they're stories
to prevent people from killing people. I mean...

RANNELLS: Castration.

GROSS: Yeah.

RANNELLS: Genital mutilation.

GAD: Genital mutilation.

GROSS: Genital mutilation...

RANNELLS: Yeah.

GROSS: ...And all of that - so you're doing a good thing, even though the
elders of the church are convincing you of, like, lying.

RANNELLS: That's right.

GROSS: My guests are Andrew Rannells and Josh Gad. They starred in the
original cast of "The Book Of Mormon." This week, as part of the show's 15th
anniversary on Broadway, Rannells and Gad are making cameo appearances in
every performance. We'll be right back. This is FRESH AIR.

(SOUNDBITE OF KEITH JARRETT TRIO'S "CONCEPTION")

GROSS: This is FRESH AIR. Let's get back to my interview with the original
stars of "The Book Of Mormon," Josh Gad and Andrew Rannells. This week, as
part of their show's 15th anniversary on Broadway, they're making cameo
appearances in every performance.

I want to move on to something else.

RANNELLS: Sure.

GROSS: At some point, you both left the show. Did you leave because your
contract was up? Did you leave at the same time?

RANNELLS: We did leave at the same time. Josh and I both had this very unique
experience...

GAD: (Laughter).

RANNELLS: ...Where we...

GAD: So weird.

RANNELLS: ...Opened "The Book Of Mormon," we were both nominated for Tony
Awards, we both lost those Tony Awards.

GROSS: Probably 'cause you were competing again each other and...

RANNELLS: Perhaps. Let's go with that.

GROSS: ...You split the vote.

GAD: (Laughter).

RANNELLS: We...

GROSS: You split the vote.

RANNELLS: We split the vote. We then went out to Los Angeles on, like - mine
was on a vacation. I took a week off from the show.

GAD: Same.

RANNELLS: We had a bunch of meetings in LA. We were, you know, very popular.
These two guys from the biggest Broadway hit, everyone wanted to meet with us.
We both got TV shows for NBC.

GAD: (Laughter).

RANNELLS: Josh's was called "1600 Penn." Mine was called "The New Normal."
They both aired the same week. We went to the upfronts together. They were
both canceled (laughter).

GAD: Same week.

RANNELLS: And so we went through this ride together that was so - and look,
other people had been through it. Kristin Chenoweth had gone through that,
except she won her Tony Award. But I watched her do the exact thing that I was
trying to do, which was I didn't want to leave "The Book Of Mormon" until I
had a job that I thought I could be proud of and that would somehow elevate me
to another level. And this opportunity seemed like it was too good to miss.
And I had started working on "Girls" for HBO at that point, but I was only a
guest star. So I was coming in and out and I was still doing the show at
night. So that felt a little different. But this move, you know, Josh back to
LA, me to LA for the first time, the fact that we got to do that together,
make these shows and then have them both go away...

GAD: It was...

RANNELLS: ...Was...

GAD: ...Hilarious.

RANNELLS: It was an interesting time.

GAD: I was definitely, I think, more done than Andrew was by that point.

RANNELLS: I could have stayed longer.

GAD: He is gifted in the sense that he really is somebody who can do this -
and quite well - for as long as he puts his mind to it. I had checked out at
that point, and I felt...

RANNELLS: (Laughter).

GAD: ...Like I was doing a disservice to myself and the audience.

RANNELLS: You didn't seem like you were checked out.

GAD: No, but I started forgetting lines on set. I was, you know, I wasn't
present.

RANNELLS: You were ready.

GAD: And I was ready. I was - it was - but I had also been doing it for so
long...

RANNELLS: Yes. That is true.

GAD: ...From its origin that I was like, I wanted to try new things.

RANNELLS: Yeah.

GAD: And I got very sort of, you know, when I sort of do the same thing again
and again, I start to get bored. Let's call that ADHD. But I was - at that
point, I was very ready. And I look back at that now with a lot of regret.

RANNELLS: Yeah.

GAD: Because I don't think I appreciated this incredible moment until I was
able to reflect on it, actually, years later because when you're in it, when
you're in the eye of the hurricane, it's - there's a lot going on that you
can't stop and settle yourself and go, oh, my God, this is a moment that I'll
never have again.

RANNELLS: Yeah.

GAD: This is so unbelievably unique.

RANNELLS: Well, we both had people telling us. We had large groups of people
telling us, like, don't stay too long.

GAD: You're bigger than this. Yeah.

RANNELLS: You don't want to, you know, miss this opportunity.

GAD: Right. Right.

RANNELLS: And even though something in my gut for me personally, thought, I
would like to stay a little bit longer...

GAD: Do you regret not staying longer?

RANNELLS: I do.

GAD: I do, too.

RANNELLS: I do. I wish that I had stayed longer. These opportunities come up,
and you're like, well, I don't want to lose it.

GAD: Yeah.

RANNELLS: And will Ryan Murphy ever call me again? I don't know. Like, will we
ever do this again? And so I said yes. But I do regret not staying longer.

GROSS: It has been wonderful to speak to you both. I'm so glad that you've had
such interesting careers even after "The Book Of Mormon. And thank you so much
for coming back to our show.

RANNELLS: Oh, my gosh. Thank you for...

GAD: Thank you for having us. You're the best.

RANNELLS: Thank you for keeping us on track. You know, most interviewers don't
have that in them to deal with Josh and I together.

GAD: We were very disciplined today.

RANNELLS: We were very disciplined.

GROSS: (Laughter) Well, thank you for that.

RANNELLS: We took this very seriously. Very seriously. We're huge fans of
yours...

GROSS: Oh, thank you...

RANNELLS: ...And your show.

GAD: Yeah.

GROSS: ...And I of yours.

RANNELLS: It's...

GAD: You're a genius

RANNELLS: ...A real honor to be back here, so thank you.

GROSS: Andrew Rannells and Josh Gad starred in the original cast of "The Book
Of Mormon." As part of the show's celebration of its 15th year on Broadway,
they're making cameo appearances in every performance this week. Other cast
members will be making surprise appearances, as will the show's creators, Trey
Parker and Matt Stone, who also created "South Park," and Robert Lopez, who
also co-wrote the songs for "Frozen" and "Avenue Q."

(SOUNDBITE OF THE METERS' "HERE COMES THE METER MAN")

GROSS: To keep up with what's on the show and get highlights of our
interviews, follow us on Instagram - @nprfreshair. FRESH AIR's executive
producer is Sam Briger. Our technical director and engineer is Audrey Bentham.
Our interviews and reviews are produced and edited by Phyllis Myers, Ann Marie
Baldonado, Lauren Krenzel, Therese Madden, Monique Nazareth, Thea Chaloner,
Susan Nyakundi, Anna Bauman, and Nico Gonzalez Wisler. Our digital media
producer is Molly Seavy-Nesper. Roberta Shorrock directs the show. Our co-host
is Tonya Mosley. I'm Terry Gross.

(SOUNDBITE OF THE METERS' "HERE COMES THE METER MAN")

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