I actually Wikipedia-ed the Manson family and the surrounding events to brush up on the history before attending the show and I was able to retain most of the main points and events or at least what I thought to be the main points and events. What I really liked about the show was that it summarized or paraphrased if you will the events very well. Along with the songs, it was an overall great show!
What I didn't like
More sex scenes. Just kidding. It was great as is!
My overall impression
Considering the origin story being so dark and eerie, I was pleasantly surprised on how the team, actors+writers+producers+etc, brought humor into it. I thought the play was overall concise and very well planned out.