Mitt Romney should take a page out of “The Book of Mormon.”
Because if he can sweep the Republican primaries next year the way “Mormon” swept the Tonys last night, he’ll be the first Mormon to be nominated for president.
The biggest musical comedy hit since Mel Brooks’ “The Producers,” “The Book of Mormon” won nine Tonys, including Best Musical.
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With its profane lyrics and cynically tinged take on faith and religion, “Mormon” could have been a lightning rod for protesters.
But because of its cheeky sense of humor and old-fashioned showbiz know-how, it’s become a lightning rod for ticket buyers.
Advance ticket sales have climbed past $20 million, with seats going for more than $1,500 on the scalper market.
Accepting the award for Best Musical, Trey Parker, who created the show with Matt Stone and Robert Lopez, jokingly said, “We want to thank our co-writer, Joseph Smith,” the founder of the Mormon religion.
Parker pulled off a personal hat trick, winning three Tonys for his direction, his script and his score.
“Mormon” also won Tonys for sets, orchestrations and lighting.
Nikki M. James, who plays a poor villager in Uganda, where the Mormons come to preach their religion, won the award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.
She gave the most heartfelt speech of the night, saying, as the music swelled up, “I will not leave the stage!”
The other big winner last night was “War Horse,” which collected five Tonys, including Best Play.
An import from the National Theatre of Great Britain, “War Horse” is about a young man and his beloved horse who fight on the battlefields of France during World War I. It features gorgeous, life-size animal puppets.
Like “Mormon,” “War Horse” is a smash, grossing nearly $1 million a week at Lincoln Center Theatre, which is unheard of for a nonmusical play with puppets instead of movie stars.
Larry Kramer’s polemical 1985 play about AIDS — “The Normal Heart” — took home the Tony for Best Revival of a Play.
The irascible but lovable Kramer, dressed in a baggy black turtle neck that looked like it was on loan from Liza Minnelli, gave a heartfelt speech, saying of his play, “I could not have written it had not so many of us so needlessly died.”
“Anything Goes,” that delightful old Cole Porter show from the 1930s, won Best Revival of a Musical. Sutton Foster, its robotic tap-dancing star, won Best Actress.
If there was little suspense last night — most of the winners were forgone conclusions — the Tony telecast, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, moved along at a clip, with a few good jokes and some snappy musical numbers that are sure to ignite box offices tomorrow.
Looking slightly out of their element were Bono and The Edge, who tomorrow will unveil the new version of their troubled $75 million Broadway musical, “Spider-Man, Turn Off the Dark.”
It’s been in previews for seven months.
In a bow to this columnist’s contribution to the Broadway season that ended last night with the Tonys, The Edge, speaking of “Spider-Man’s” endless delays, said, “We were ready in February, but we just wanted to keep the excitement level up at The New York Post.”
See you tomorrow, boys.