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‘Book of Mormon’ Bootleg Video Surfaces on the Internet

‘Book of Mormon’ Bootleg Video Surfaces on the Internet

With all of the problems that Hollywood and the music industry have had combating file sharing, it is a little surprising that Broadway has never had to battle this headache. Until now that is. As reported by TechCrunch, a bootleg version of the ultra-popular show ‘Book of Mormon’ popped up on file sharing sites yesterday.

The show was evidently shot in March on a video camera by someone going by the moniker BROADWAYCAM. Our rouge bootlegger was even kind enough to provide instructions on improving your viewing experience.

If any musical was going to be bootlegged, ‘Book of Mormon’ would get my vote. It is the hottest thing on Broadway since ‘Wicked’ and being associated with the South Park creators builds in an audience intent on mischief. My question is how did someone record the entire performance without anyone noticing? I’ve seen ushers bring the proverbial beat down on an audience member brandishing a camera so sustaining a full recording of the performance seems particularly bold.

So now that we’ve officially opened Pandora’s Box, anyone want to lay wagers on the next Broadway show to get the bootleg treatment?

UPDATE: Bruce emailed in to say that Broadway bootlegs are a fairly common practice and have been since the 70s. Sure enough, with a Google search I was able to pull up Addams Family, How to Succeed on Broadway and Priscilla Queen of the Desert among others. Strike one for the fact checkers at TechCrunch and kudos to Bruce for setting the record straight.