Despite the sweep of last month’s Tony Awards, I have noticed that many fellow Mormons, including a few of my open-minded New York City neighbors, have said they do not intend to see “The Book of Mormon: The Musical.” In conversation and on Facebook, they cite Michael Otterson’s Washington Post column as a reason that they are opting out. Otterson, head of public affairs for the LDS Church, points out that people may leave the theater “believing that Mormons really do live in some kind of a surreal world of self-deception and illusion.” Thus, he has decided not to spend $200 on it.
I have long admired Otterson for his intelligence and refreshing outspokenness in defending the church. And yet, I disagree with him on this one, or those who read his article as a call to boycott the hit show.