'Book of Mormon' lottery returns to Tampa

   If you want to see "The Book of Mormon" but you don't want to shell out $66 for the cheapest tickets, here's some good news for you.

  The producers of the show are again offering a lottery that will let you purchase tickets for $31. And they're not all cheap seats. You could end up getting a $178.50 tickets for $31.

   Here's how it works: Between two and two and a half hours before any performance, you go to the box office at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts in Tampa and fill out a form. You specify whether you want one ticket or two for that performance. You can't enter any drawing more than once.

 

A scene from "the Book of Mormon"

 Then, two hours before curtain, someone draws names and an unknown number of people will get the discounted tickets. It's cash only. You have to be there to win. 

   These lotteries have drawn as many as 800 entrants. You might have a better shot earlier in the run, before word of mouth about the show and about the lottery has peaked. You might also have a better shot on weekdays, because the drawing will at 5:30 p.m and a lot of people won't be able to get to the Straz Center after work by then.

  The Straz Center is at 1010 N. MacInnes Place in downtown  Tampa. "The Book of Mormon" opens Jan. 20 and runs through Feb. 1. Curtain is at  7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Call 813-229-7827 or go to strazcenter.org.

Tickets for "Mormon" in Tampa on Aug. 17

   It's still six months until "The Book of Mormon" returns to Tampa, but lots of people are already excited about exciting to see it again.
   That's why it's probably a good idea to get your tickets very early. Single tickets for the general public go on sale at noon Aug. 17. The two-week run of the show starts Jan. 20 at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts. Prices for those tickets haven't been announced, though. (Tickets for groups and for Straz Center members are already on sale.) Regularly priced single tickets will run between $38.50 and $163.50, plus service charge.

   "The Book of Mormon," which sprung from the minds of the creators of "South Park" and "Avenue Q," has been famously called "the best musical of this century," and it lives up to the hype. It's fresh and hilarious and its songs are great. It won the Tony Award (and just about every other major theater award) for Best Musical and its cast recording won the Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album. Lots of theater aficionados think it's the best musical they've ever seen.
   It's not for the easily offended, though, so even though it's ultimately positive, you might not want to bring the kids or Grandma.
   You can get tickets by calling 813-229-7827 or strazcenter.org.
 

Tampa's Straz Center offers cheap "Mormon" tickets

   Almost everyone is eager to see “The Book of Mormon,” which is coming to the Straz Center for the Performing Arts in Tampa this week. But a lot of people don't want to shell out $69, which is how much the least-expensive regular tickets are, before the service charge.
   But if you're lucky you can get tickets for $25 apiece.
    The Straz Center will host a lottery for a limited number of ultra-cheap tickets before each performance. Starting two and half hours before each performance, you can show up

A scene from "The Book of Mormon"

at the Straz and tell them you want to be part of the lottery. They'll draw names two hours before curtain and each winner can get one or two tickets for $25 per.
   It's not all cheap tickets in the lottery. The seats are scattered around the house, so you could end up getting a few hundred dollars worth of tickets for $50. You have to be there at the time of the drawing to win, and you have to pay cash for the tickets.
   “The Book of Mormon” runs Nov. 12-24. Curtain is at 7:30 Tuesday-Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday and 2 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday. The Straz Center is at 1010 N. MacInnes Place, Tampa. For more information, call 813-229-7827 or go to www.strazcenter.org.

Individual "Book of Mormon" tickets available Sunday

   There hasn't been so much excitement about a Broadway musical coming to town in a long, long time.
   "The Book of Mormon," the universally acclaimed show that prominent critics have called "the best musical of this century" and "heaven on Broadway," opens its two-week run at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts in Tampa on Nov. 12. Season subscribers got first dibs on tickets, but at least at the moment there are plenty left for people who want to see just this show.
   Individual tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 25. And actually, if you have an American Express card

"The Book of Mormon"

, you can buy tickets starting today and up until 9:59 a.m. Friday.
   Tickets are $69-$153.50 plus service charge. You get them by calling 813-229-7827, by going to www.strazcenter.org or by going in person to the Straz Center box office. The Straz Center is at 1010 N. MacInnes Place in Tampa.
   "The Book of Mormon," which comes from the same team that created TV's "South Park," won nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Score (Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone), Best Book (Parker, Lopez and Stone) and Best Direction (Casey Nicholaw and Parker).
    Straz Center officials are expecting this show to sell out, and sell out fast, so you're advised to get your tickets soon if you don't want to be left out.



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Straz Center bringing Broadway smashes 'Book of Mormon,' 'Once' and more Tony winners to Tampa

Musical theater enthusiasts, especially fans of smart, American prophet-skewering hilarity, have been stoked about "The Book of Mormon" coming to Tampa since July.

That's when the Straz Center announced that the show would be part of its roster for 2013-2014.

Turns out, the nine-time Tony Award-winning Best Musical phenomenon about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints kicks off the new Best of Broadway Tampa Bay season in November.

The season also includes the Tony Award-winning Best Musical "Once," the Tony Award-winning revival of The Gershwins' "Porgy and Bess," the new stage version of "Ghost," the revival of "Evita," and "We Will Rock You," which is propelled by the hits of Queen.

Judith Lisi, longtime president and CEO of the Straz Center, noted the slew of Tony Award winners taking the stage.

"With all of the great Broadway seasons we've had over the years, this could be the best one yet," Lisi said.

"Our 2013-14 Broadway season has the two most recent Tony Award-winning Best Musicals, the current Tony Award-winning Best Revival of a Musical and so much more. Tampa Bay audiences will be treated to a season that is both compelling and entertaining and spotlights the very best of musical theater."

All shows will be performed in the Carol Morsani Hall, the largest on the west coast of Florida with more than 2,600 seats.

"The Book of Mormon" (Nov. 12-24): Featuring book, music and lyrics by Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone, the religious satire that won all those Tonys including Best Musical in 2011 has been lauded as one of the funniest Broadway shows of all time. Parker and Stone are the four-time Emmy Award-winning creators of the landmark, envelope-pushing animated series "South Park" while Lopez is cocreator of the long-running hit musical comedy "Avenue Q."

Read more.

—"Book of Mormon" publicity photo

'Book of Mormon' coming to Straz Center in Tampa for 2013-14 Broadway season

The most highly anticipated national Broadway tour has a date in Tampa.

"The Book of Mormon," winner of nine Tony Awards including Best Musical, will play Carol Morsani Hall as part of the David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts’ 2013-2014 season.

"The Book of Mormon" features book, music and lyrics by Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone. Parker and Stone are the four-time Emmy Award-winning creators of the landmark animated series, “South Park.” Tony Award-winner Lopez is cocreator of the long-running hit musical comedy "Avenue Q." The musical is choreographed by Tony Award-winner Casey Nicholaw ("Monty Python’s Spamalot," "The Drowsy Chaperone") and is directed by Nicholaw and Parker.

Specific performance dates for the Straz Center engagement will be announced as touring routes are confirmed. Season ticket holders will have the first opportunity to purchase tickets when they become available. Season tickets for the 2012-2013 season are available now and may be purchased by calling 813-229-7827 or clicking www.strazcenter.org.