Bootsie's new reign as the popular host of Hott 107.5's morning show was bound to pay dividends sooner or later, and the Bermuda public got a small taste of what is in store during two absolutely hilarious comedy shows over the weekend.

I attended the first of the two shows on Saturday night and was thrown into fits of hysterical laughter on more than a few occasions.

The venue was the Liberty Theatre at Union Square; the crowd was capacity; and the line-up was emphatically funny.

The evening began with a few words from the esteemed Mr. Bootsie himself, followed by the explosive introduction of the first of our beloved 'Two Fools,' Jah Simmons ? who delivered a command performance as host for the evening. Jah touched on hand-me-downs, education, Mike Tyson and did an outrageously humorous 'Crocodile Hunter' bit that had the crowd rolling in the aisles.

Jah also kept the show flowing at a very nice pace, leaving no room for complaint or inattention from the crowd. He introduced comic after comic with skill and precision, adding in splashes of comedic brilliance at just the right junctures, making this one of the most well constructed comedy shows I've seen within these shores. It helped that the comedians he introduced were sublimely silly as well.

Gina Love was the first to deliver a proper set, and she did so with style and grace. She covered mammograms, PMS, menopause, tattoos, slow dancing, visiting the doctor and the peculiarly adult practice of 'counting' to great effect, drawing many an unbridled guffaw from the thoroughly tickled crowd. Her set was a generous 20 minutes, and she held the crowd with the skill of a veteran practitioner from the first punch line to the last; good job Gina.

The local portion of the show delivered some of the best comedic talent this island has ever produced, and that trend certainly wasn't bumped by the inclusion of the magnificently gifted Nadanja Bailey.

The second of our beloved 'Two Fools' stopped by to do ten minutes of frenetic, high energy, touched-in-the-head comedy that had the entire crowd squirming with uncontrollable laughter.

Nadanja cleared up the difference between potentially and realistically for us, taught us how to spell 'dictate' and delivered an uproarious lesson in how to treat a groupie. The laughter was loud and hard while Mr. Bailey blessed the stage, and if you've never seen him do stand-up, make a note to catch him next time; please, for the good of the children.

Bootsie himself closed out the local portion of the show with some witty observations about life in Bermuda and the odd availability of 'Ping pi po' at one of our most memorable old haunts.

Dave Martin hit the stage next and delivered a set that was chok-full of musical references and some pretty impressive performances too. Dave made a few facetious observations about Bermuda and gave us good reason to laugh at ourselves, sung homemade Usher songs that gave us the giggles and presented some "In Da Club" remixes that had us keeling over. His set was about 40 minutes long, and by the end we were all quite happy to have spent the last 40 minutes laughing with this highly skilled jokester.

Then there was the headliner. The guy who, in theory, would be the main draw; you know, the one we had all come to see (in theory). The truth is, I didn't know who this guy was or even that he was performing at this particular show. In fact, I'd never heard of him before he was introduced on Saturday night. I know who he is now though.

Kenny Williams delivered the kind of comedy set you won't ever see on television; the kind of set that has to be live to be appreciated; the kind of set that one never forgets (I know I won't!).

Kenny was make-your-chest-hurt funny from the moment he set foot on the stage. He opened by clowning the DJ in a quite ruthless fashion, then went on to violate the new poetry movement to hilarious effect, tackled dating, crazy women and his ex-girlfriend, who had the ghastly habit of sleeping with her eyes open.

Williams made us laugh by just talking at times; like the time when he recited the 'Butterfly' poem, which he remembered from childhood (I'm still laughing!). His style and delivery were devastatingly on point and decidedly off the chain, earning him a theatre full of new fans on Saturday night. Watch for the name, he will certainly be heard from again.

The show closed soon after, capping an absolutely fantastic night of live comedy for Bermudians who like to laugh and entertainers who like to make folks laugh. Bootsie's Theater will be moving at full speed with the momentum gained by these shows, with the next instalment of hilarity slated for the end of October. Keep your ear to the ground because missing this experience would be nothing short of tragic.