ɹˈænəlz hæd hɪz bɹˈeɪkθɹuː ɪn tˈuː θˈaʊzənd ɪlˈɛvən wɛn hiː ɚɹˈɪdʒᵻnˌeɪɾᵻd ðə ɹˈoʊl ʌv ˈɛldɚ pɹˈaɪs ɪnðə bˈʊk ʌv mˈɔːɹmən, ɐ mjˈuːzɪkəl ɹˈɪʔn̩ baɪ sˈaʊθ pˈɑːɹk kɹiːˈeɪɾɚz tɹˈeɪ pˈɑːɹkɚ ænd mˈæt stˈoʊn ænd ˈævənˌuː kjˈuː kəmpˈoʊzɚ ɹˈɑːbɚt lˈoʊpɛz.
Rannells had his breakthrough in 2011 when he originated the role of Elder Price in The Book of Mormon, a musical written by South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone and Avenue Q composer Robert Lopez.