Tackling religion is never easy, but the good folk from Adelaide’s own George Glass Comedy do it with hysterical results in Scientology The Musical.

With four characters, each of them brainwashed in different ways, Scientology The Musical tells a story of the controversially defamed belief system in a series of skits and ditties of the Flight of the Conchords ilk.

There’s Susan Munt, a woman who has devoted her chastity to the second coming of L. Ron Hubbard – an ex-Navy man, science fiction writer and mysterious founder of Scientology. Munt’s sexual frustration as at boiling point throughout the show and hilarity ensues.

Then there’s Cookie, a gullible dunce of sorts, who is a reformed Christian; Stevo who has a disturbing fetish for animals and a bearded, Jesus-like alcoholic leader who is a few levels higher than the others.

Together, they deconstruct Scientology in all its absurdity. From its bizarre initiation personality tests to its successful tax-exempt status as a religion in 1950s to the celebrities that follow it and more. In the process, Scientology The Musical pokes fun (and holes) in not just its namesake religion but to all others as well.

The original songs were quite impressive with their mix of facts and satirical wit. You learn a lot about the cult religion, and its shortcomings, as they strum their guitars and harmonise. The men are all passionate performers who have a lot of fun and the audience vibed off that.

The show borders on slapstick at times and even gets a little creepy when the performers all don masks signifying L. Ron Hubbard before going down the rabbit hole – quite literally – after a curious metaphor relates the secrets of Dienetics to Alice in Wonderland.

All in all, Scientology The Musical is an entertaining hour of mockery and folk music and a great night out. It’s all light-hearted fun, unless of course, you’re a Scientologist.

4 stars

Scientology The Musical is on at the Speakeasy in Gluttony until March 4, 2018. Pick up your tickets here.