Jared Gertner, Samantha Marie Ware Join ‘Book of Mormon’ Tour Cast

“The Book of Mormon” national tour is getting ready to kick off in August, and the ensemble cast for the trek has now been announced.

Jared Gertner will star as Elder Cunningham, and will appear alongside Gavin Creel, who was previously announced for the role of Elder Price. The Elder Cunningham role was originated by Josh Gad on Broadway, and the Price role was originally filled by Andrew Rannells. Both actors were nominated for Tony Awards for their work in the highly successful musical.

Gertner was previously Gad’s understudy on Broadway, and succeeded Gad in the role earlier this month. The current production is playing at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre on Broadway.

Samantha Marie Ware will star as Nabulungi in the touring production. That role was originated on Broadway by Nikki M. James, who won a Tony Award for her work. Other performers announced for the touring version include Grey Henson as Elder McKinley and Kevin Mambo as Mafala Hatimbi.

Gavin Creel is best known to most audiences for his role in the 2009 Broadway revival of “Hair.” His portrayal of Claude in the production earned him a Best Actor Tony nomination.

“The Book of Mormon” tour has already proved a success even before the first production has been staged, as all 51,000 tickets available for the Denver run sold out five hours after going on sales. The Denver stop will be the first for the tour, and is scheduled to run from August 14 to September 2.

After that, the tour will head to Los Angeles, where it will run from September 5 to November 25 at the Pantages. A second national tour of the musical will begin in Chicago in December, with a different cast that has yet to be announced. The tours are expected to hit other cities including Portland, Ore.; Seattle; Minneapolis; St. Louis; Detroit; Boston and Washington, D.C.