Nikki M. James and Rory O’Malley have returned to Broadway’s “The Book of Mormon” for the first time since leaving their original roles, and they will appear in the show until Jan. 17.
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Nikki M. James and Rory O’Malley are back in Broadway’s “The Book of Mormon,” returning to the Eugene O’Neill Theatre in the roles they previously played for the long-running musical.
James said it has been 12 years since she last starred in the show at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre, recalling that “the sink in my dressing room is still clogged,” though she described being onstage again as “totally surreal.” She and O’Malley will be in the production in their old roles until Jan. 17.
O’Malley returned last week, saying he enjoyed “hearing an audience loving it too” and having people watching who appeared to be seeing the show for the first time. He compared the feeling to going back home after decades away, describing it as “like those pathways are all still there.”
Both actors said they were nervous returning, despite each having performed the show more than 800 times. Since leaving, James has won a Tony Award and later earned another Tony nomination for “Suffs,” while O’Malley has earned a Tony nomination and gone on to play roles in “Hamilton” and “She Loves Me.”
The musical, which opened on Broadway in 2011, follows two Mormon missionaries in Uganda and includes encounters with gun-toting warlords and villages infected with HIV. The production has been running through a different cultural moment than when James and O’Malley last performed it, and James said the discourse around race, religion, comedy and representation has shifted since then.
During the pandemic shutdown, the creators made minor changes to the script, including giving James’ character Nabulungi more agency. The change means she scares off the warlords at the end, putting her on equal footing with the missionaries and allowing her to “end the show center stage,” James said.
O’Malley highlighted one of his character’s featured moments, singing “Turn It Off,” a mock ode about keeping your homosexuality hidden. He said he co-founded the gay rights group Broadway Impact and described how the show has allowed him to explore his faith journey.
James and O’Malley said the original cast has stayed close, including through an active group text, and some from the original company came to the theatre to welcome them back. James also said the pair have found lasting backstage notes and stickers after 15 years, along with a new tradition of putting headshots in the stage-right dressing room tower, including one from the late Gavin Creel.
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