Robert Lopez of ‘Book of Mormon’ writes song for ‘The Simpsons’

Over the years, “The Simpsons”on Fox has engaged a few Broadway talents in guest spots -- Stephen Sondheim, David Mamet and Mandy Patinkin all have put it vocal cameos. The series even paid tribute to Bob Fosse in a few episodes, with an obnoxious choreographer character named Chazz Busby.

The latest Broadway talent to visit Springfield will be Robert Lopez, a co-writer of “The Book of Mormon,” according to a report in Playbill. Lopez apparently has penned a new song that will be performed on the April 29 episode, titled “A Totally Fun Thing Bart Will Never Do Again.”

Playbill reports that the episode will take place on a cruise ship with guest star Steve Coogan as a cruise director.

Lopez co-wrote the music, lyrics and book for “Mormon.” He also co-wrote the songs for the musical “Avenue Q.”

His co-writers on “Mormon” are Matt Stone and Trey Parker, whose “South Park” on Comedy Central is something of an animated rival to “The Simpsons.”

Other Broadway-themed “Simpsons” episodes include a parody of “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” that aired on Halloween. Fans of the long-running series will recall that Simpson family members visited Broadway during a disastrous trip to New York. The episode, which debuted in 1997, has not been aired recently because it features an important scene at the World Trade Center.

“The Book of Mormon” will launch a national tour this summer in Denver. The tour will stop in Los Angeles at the Pantages Theatre for a 12-week run starting in September.

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‘Book of Mormon’ coming to L.A. in September 2012