In 2011 The Book of Mormon took Broadway by storm. The first musical from Trey Parker and Matt Stone of South Park became an immediate hit with 14 Tony Nominations and 11 wins. Sold out months in advance in New York, and one of the hottest tickets in London’s West End, it is one of the most successful musicals of the past five years. Usually it takes many seasons before a touring production comes to Calgary, so it was a wonderful surprise when The Book of Mormon was announced for the 2014-2015 Broadway Across Canada season. The show runs until Sunday at the Jubilee auditorium and is entirely sold out except for lottery tickets, which are drawn for in the lobby two hours before showtime.

Wednesday night’s production is the second time I have seen The Book of Mormon. I took advantage of a Chicago trip in 2013 to catch the show. It immediately became one of my favourites and a second viewing, in which I could focus on some of the more subtle jokes, like a tiger being on the front of a woman dressed in "African garb" or watching the reactions of other players on stage, made it even more so.

The Book of Mormon is the story of two Elders – Kevin Price (Billy Harrigan Tighe) and Arnold Cunningham (A.J. Holmes) – who are paired together on their mission, which every Mormon goes off on to spread their message. Their destination? Uganada. "Like Lion King!" Elder Cunningham cries in excitement, revealing their ignorance on what they are getting into.

Written by Stone, Parker and Robert Lopez, lyricist for Avenue Q, it will come as no surprise that the show is raunchy and shocking at times. It deals with frank and real issues in Africa, such as female circumcision and AIDS. Amidst the laughter is the understanding that this is reality for many people. I scanned the lobby and audience to see if anyone didn’t know what they were getting into and brought children, but it seemed the word was out that this is an adult show.

It is difficult to summarize and review The Book of Mormon without giving much away. It is everything that is wonderful about big musical spectacles – odes to other classic musicals, songs that will get stuck in your head (good luck trying to not hum "Hasa Diga Ebowai" under your breath as you depart) and tremendous performances from the entire cast. While the show is uproariously funny, in the end, it is also a heartwarming and tender story. It is not making fun of Mormons; it is, in many ways, a tribute.

With sold out runs in Edmonton and Calgary, it is likely that The Book of Mormon will return again sooner than later. If you did not get tickets this week and aren’t successful in securing tickets in the lottery, buy tickets immediately next time. You won’t regret it.