Sweetly irreverent, injected with innuendo and at times surreptitiously clever, Tripod are one of Australia’s premiere comedy acts, having performed all over the world in Fringe/comedy festivals and now in The world famous Speigletent in the forecourt of the Sydney Opera House.

There is a whole lot to love about Tripod… their cohesive harmonies, their self-proclaimed nerdy banter and their ability to blend biblical text with He-Man characters. As the title suggests this is not a show for the staunchly fanatical: nor for those that take Santa or Christmas trees too seriously… but rather a celebratory cerebral examination of commercialism and religious sentiment surrounding one of the most overwhelming traditions of Western culture: Christmas.

Is it too early to be doing a Christmas show? Well not if supermarkets are already framing each aisle with tinsel and plastic Santa faces. Following on from their 2007 Christmas Show “Smaller than Jesus”, the 2008 show “For the Love of God” focuses on the journey of the Three Wise Men: the true version of events leading up to and including the birth of Jesus. Assisted by an audience member, Tripod enact the story told by a volunteer narrator who’s reading is punctuated by a glissando of glockenspiel chimes. The performance itself is sufficiently childlike and silly: allowing room for ad-libing, and rebuttles. Intertwining Astrology, with biblical “edu-facts”, bizarre flights of fancy involving a Toucan and “gritty realism”… there is a lot of ground covered in this show which goes beyond the standard “Tripod singing a bunch of their songs”.

Housed in the intimate confines of the The world famous Speigletent, complete with fairy light-peppered back curtain and wooden seats, the show is more like sitting inside a cubby house where in Gatesy, Yon and Scod are about to show us all the clever, funny and fascinating things: including a special guest appearance from the Rooty Hill Community Choral Society. This is performance up close, hilarious and at times heartbreakingly beautiful… No sooner have they donned a silly a hat and suggested something painfully nostalgic and nerdy, than they have broken into a three part harmony which tenderly coerces goose bumps and a low hum of delight from an attentive and delighted audience.

With an array of songs including a re-working of several classic Christmas Carols, a wonderful mix of contemporary issues fused with a deconstruction of contemporary doctrine, tripod brings the fun back into what could be a tired and tainted Christmas Season. Mixing Sci-fi, fantasy, skepticism, myth and satire into each of their songs and stories, Tripod offers their world view with a charming awkwardness which is at once both magnetic and imaginative. A song about Santa’s possible immigration rejection, and a “what about me” style anthem for the shepherd who was busy watching the flock and not following “the star” are perfectly placed amid the choral gymnastics of the show.

For the Love of God is a fantastically fun Christmas show… cheeky, quirky, and refreshingly sweet… and just a whole lot of fun… unless you are a handicapped reindeer: then you might find it unforgivably offensive… but then again, these guys are so fiercely adorable in their nerdiness you definitely wont.