Uplifting, offensive and hilarious - The Book of Mormon is wonderfully wicked

So why had I been counting down the days for the The Book of Mormon at The Alexandra Theatre? Those magical words on the poster: "From the creators of South Park."

From its opening run on Broadway in 2011, BOM offended and amazed audiences, collecting Tony awards before wowing the West End and winning Olivier gongs. So now in its second visit to Birmingham the show is a well oiled machine.

The satire on the Church of the Latter Day Saints obviously has never had a run in Salt Lake City, the capital of the Mormon church. Founded in 1830 by Joseph Smith in New York on the premise two tribes of ancient Jews in America were given the secret of life by Jesus on a vacation before his Middle East crucifixion. 

Like Scientology, America's other home grown religion whose followers believe science fiction writer Ron Hubbard's belief aliens wiped out earth 75 million years ago, Mormons are easy to mock because its a new religion, but I'm sure 2,000 years ago the Zoroastrians had a good laugh at the Virgin Mary story.

Immediately the songs make the audience care about the central characters, top of the class Elder Price, played by Adam Bailey whose smile could illuminate the Bullring, and disaster zone Elder Cunningham, played by Sam Glenn who perfectly pulls off the Some-Mothers-Do-Have-Em innocent idiocy. Price is destined for greatness in the Church of the Latter Day Saints, and Cunningham has yet to read the book, but they are paired to spread the book of Mormon in Uganda. The wide-eyed super positive Americans get a rude awakening, as does the audience, with their reception in Africa.