South Park, you either love it, or you think it\u2019s childish and raunchy.<\/p>\n
Then again, it\u2019s definitely both childish and raunchy. While even the show\u2019s biggest fans will probably admit that, they\u2019re also quick to point out that South Park\u2019s satirical elements are often overlooked. For those who don\u2019t watch the show, every episode focuses on a couple topics that reflect current events. The plot typically spins these together in a way that shows just how ridiculous parts of our modern society really are.<\/p>\n
So what does this have to do with the Book of Mormon?<\/p>\n
Well for starters, I\u2019m referring to the play from the creators of South Park that\u2019s going on in Chicago until May 17th<\/sup>, not, y\u2019know, the actual Book of Mormon.<\/p>\n Now I\u2019m sure some of you are reading this and thinking, \u201cWow, they made a play satirizing a major religion and everyone thinks it\u2019s funny.\u201d<\/p>\n Well\u2026 You\u2019re kind of correct. The actual Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (or Mormons, for those that don\u2019t know) has even come out and said, \u201cThe danger is not when people laugh but when they take it seriously.\u201d To top it off, they\u2019ve even taken to advertising in the playbills with phrases like, \u201cyou\u2019ve seen the play, now read the book,\u201d and \u201cthe book is always better.\u201d<\/p>\n While I\u2019m sure they\u2019re not happy about it, the church is smart enough to know that this is indeed satire, and they\u2019re alright with people laughing as long as they don\u2019t actually believe the views in the play are true.<\/p>\n Got that? It\u2019s okay to laugh.<\/p>\n Now that we\u2019ve tackled that issue, let\u2019s get to the point. Why should you see the musical?<\/p>\n I\u2019m not going to focus on the nine Tony awards or the fact that the New York Times calls it \u201cthe best musical of this century.\u201d You can find all of the rave reviews splattered across the web. What\u2019s important here is the awareness that the play brings to its audiences.<\/p>\n The Book of Mormon raises awareness about issues in Africa including female circumcision, AIDS, and the tyrants that take up arms against their own people while being one of the funniest musicals of all time. Not an easy feat.<\/p>\n