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BYIn between the Saturday morning and afternoon sessions of the 196th General Conference, Alex Boye sidled up next to protestors standing on the edge of the sidewalk.
The Dreamspire Orchestra followed behind him, carrying trumpets, cellos and other instruments. The group filed into a red-taped box on the sidewalk, crowding the protesters’ designated spot.
Showtime.
The orchestra started playing, and Boye started singing.
He sang one of his songs from his musical, “The King of New York.”
“The King of New York” has been Boye’s passion project for the past 10 years. The musical features Joseph Smith and his life as the prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The idea came to him in the Jordan River temple.
“I had this strong witness in the celestial room that the Lord was telling me that I needed to make Joseph Smith’s name famous to this younger generation,” Boye explained. “[God] said, ‘I need you to use all the gifts and talents I’ve given you.’”
“So, I decided to write a musical about Joseph Smith.”
The musical specifically focuses on Joseph Smith’s run for president, where he promised he would free the slaves of America within six years of his election.
“That’s what this musical is about,” Boye said. “It’s about this beautiful man, Joseph Smith, the restoration of the gospel, but he also did something very, very powerful for blacks during that time.”
The idea for a flash mob didn’t come from Boye, but rather from one of his friends.
“So, I just got together with this group of intelligent people,” Boye said. The group included more than 20 individuals, all dressed in formal suits and top hats.
The singing gathered a large crowd, where spectators recorded the group singing and dancing.
Marina Holt, a cellist for the Dreamspire Symphony Orchestra, described her experience as “nerve-wracking.”
“I’ve never played in a flash mob before, and I’ve never actually been on temple grounds during conference,” Holt said. “It was so fun to see all the good supporters here and to just see how everybody has such a great energy to them.”
Updates on “The King of New York” can be found on Boye’s Instagram @kingofnewyorkmusical
✍️ Isabella Garn
@byuiscroll
