A few people would surely have been sceptical about whether The Book of Mormon was worthy of its hype as it began its run in Bristol this week.
Dubbed "the best musical of the century" by the New York Times and having received adulation from countless theatregoers across the globe, the expectations were certainly high as the musical directed by South Park's creators arrived at the Hippodrome.
But all it takes is the first number, Hello!, to make you realise why it has been lauded far and wide.
You find yourself grinning from ear to ear as a dozen or so Mormons with slick hair and glistening smiles pop up on stage, pressing doorbells and introducing themselves.
It’s wonderfully choreographed, catchy and utterly hilarious - unsurprisingly considering Trey Parker and Matt Stone called on the services of Robert Lopez, who co-created Avenue Q and composed songs for Disney smash hit Frozen.
We then follow the two protagonists, missionaries Elder Price and the hapless Elder Cunningham, as they are sent on a mission to try and convert a tribe in Uganda (not Orlando as Price had been desperately hoping for) to follow the Church of Latter Day Saints.
Given it was created by the brains behind South Park, it’s not exactly a huge surprise the humour is often shocking and lewd, with certain lines in particular prompting the kind of response the most risqué stand-up comedians on the circuit crave, but it manages to just about straddle the line rather than go too far.
Fun is poked at a wide range of targets from The Lion King (on numerous occasions) to Starbucks, the latter of which appears in a memorable 'Spooky Mormon Hell Dream' scene alongside the likes of Hitler and Johnnie Cochran, O.J Simpson's former lawyer.
The show is jam-packed with genuine laugh-out-loud moments and songs which have huge swathes of the auditorium gasping for air.
One of the most side-splitting is Turn if Off, perhaps the catchiest song of the production in which Elder McKinley gives Elder Price advice on how to get rid of bad feelings, while revealing his homosexuality with increasing vigour.
His message is to "Turn it off, like a light switch," or to simply repress feelings instead of confronting them, mocking the Mormon culture of hiding all feelings considered bad.
There isn't a weak link among the cast, with Robert Colvin and Conner Peirson, who play Price and Cunningham respectively, utterly brilliant as the chalk and cheese "best friends" partnership.
And Nicole-Lily Baisden, who plays Nabulungi (not Netflix or Nigel Farage as Cunnginham mistakenly calls her, among other labels massively wide of the mark), stakes a claim for being the star of the show with some of the best scenes - particularly the one in which she is baptised by Cunningham.
'Book yourself in to see it immediately'
The Book of Mormon is at Bristol Hippodrome for six weeks. While the first three weeks of the run have sold out, there are still tickets remaining for the subsequent three weeks.
Even if you don't consider yourself to be a fan of musicals, you should book yourself in to see it immediately. The show is bonkers, uplifting and downright hilarious - most definitely deserving of its widespread acclaim.
For tickets go to ATGTickets.com and for more information visit Bristol Hippodrome's website.
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