The Broadway nine-time Tony Award®-award-winning musical “The Book of Mormon,” playing at Segerstrom Center for the Arts from March 22 to April 3, comes from the creators of television’s “South Park.”

It pokes fun at Mormonism, African culture, AIDS, Third World poverty and more. The creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, join forces with Robert Lopez, the composer of “Avenue Q,” to write this show about two Mormon boys from Salt Lake City doing mission work in Uganda, about educators in an unfamiliar world.

Parker and Stone have pushed the boundaries of irreverence, as they’ve done in “South Park,” instilling the kind of fun that the cartoon is known for in the show. Critics say it’s impossible not to laugh at the Mormon guys as they face cultural barriers in a Ugandan village. The production rips Mormonism, along with other elements of the Judeo-Christian ethos, apart.

For all the mockery, the musical encourages good feelings, allowing an appreciation of mystery for the Mormon boys. It’s an old-fashioned musical comedy, in short.

The writers of this show pile up joke after joke, resulting in a production that feels familiar and funny. They keep the tone of the show strictly cartoon, given their animated comedy background. In other words, Parker and Stone make fun of and embrace the all-American art form of the musical.