When I walked in Docksiders, the vibe of the crowd was pleasant enough. Everybody was sitting in clusters laughing and enjoying the atmosphere. I didn't know what to expect so I waited in anticipation for the show to begin.

Little did I know that I was about to receive an unexpected history lesson.

Not the Um Um Show 2002 started out poking fun at a little bit of everything: men watching the stories, finding out that someone is your relative; innocent stuff. But when the players really kicked in, I was totally appalled, to say the least. Relentless jokes about our Government, parodies of Ministers and the teasing of the Bermuda Housing Corporation made me want to bolt.

As a young person that has never been exposed to such political satire, I found the show offensive. I looked around at the crowd and thought, "How could people find this funny?" But I convinced myself to have an open mind and try to find the humour in what was being said.

Bruce Barritt and his crew were good performers. With this year"s theme of `Caricomedy', the five players made sure to poke fun at the issue every chance they got. A particularly funny skit is when longtime fisherman Mr. Repose wants to change occupations and he goes to the `National Retraining Board' to get a job in risk management. "What have you done to qualify as a risk manager?" questioned the training officer.

"I dropped three pots off the Sound and I've never been caught. I know about risks. I mess with my neighbour's wife three times a week and he doesn't know. Tell me I don't know about risk management?" responded the fisherman.

To say he passed his work assessment is putting it lightly. No one was spared from the impersonations regardless if they were on the top of Bermuda"s hierarchy or the bottom. A whole skit was dedicated to our own Ayo Johnson. Quite a good one, I might add.

The wonderfully performed skits (it mystified me how they remembered all their lines between so many Heinekens) were funny and delivered a message I was able to hear loud and clear.

When you open your mind and your eyes, you will see that there is a laugh in every situation no matter how serious we may think it is.

Carla Zuill