The Book of Mormon Cast Recording Nears Top of Billboard 200

After taking home nine Tony Awards on June 12, including Best Musical, Best Book and Best Score, The Book of Mormon has reached another peak: hitting #3 on the Billboard 200. The new musical from South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone and Avenue Q writer Robert Lopez is the first Broadway cast recording to snag a spot in Billboard’s Top 10 since the original Broadway cast recording of Hair in 1969. It’s also the highest charting Broadway cast album in 42 years, surpassing previous top-sellers like Dreamgirls, which reached #11 in 1982, and Rent, which reached #19 in 1996.

Sales may have been kicked into high gear from June 11 to 13 when the album, released by Ghostlight Records, was available for download on Amazon.com for $1.99 as part of a promotion of the new Amazon Cloud Player.

The album features Tony nominees Andrew Rannells, Josh Gad and Rory O’Malley, Tony winner Nikki M. James and Michael Potts, as well as Lewis Cleale, Brian Tyree Henry, Scott Barnhardt, Justin Bohon, Darlesia Cearcy, Kevin Duda, Asmeret Ghebremichael, Clark Johnsen, John Eric Parker, Benjamin Schrader, Michael James Scott, Brian Sears, Jason Michael Snow, Lawrence Stallings, Rema Webb, Maia Nkenge Wilson and Tommar Wilson.