Shakespeare it's not, but the latest offering from Harvard's aspiring actors is well worth a look at the City Hall this week.

Madness is the only word to quite describe Hasty Pudding Theatricals' `The Jewel of Denial', which uses a sex-mad peacock, a Scottish Sherlock Holmes-type detective and two mummied Egyptians to tell the tale of a stolen priceless diamond.

The choice of characters may seem a bit extreme, but the team at Hasty Pudding managed to pull off a show of pure slapstick comedy, filled with sexual inuendo and childish humour that couldn't help but make you laugh. In fact, it can best be described as a Carry On set to music.

The team of 14 guys made it really work and when the final curtain fell, the audience was cheering for more.

The story starts when a wealthy woman, Denise Ovanuncle, arrives in London from Georgia in 1900 to inherit her rich uncle's mansion and possessions.

The jewel is stolen and there the hunt begins by all to find it in return for a handsome reward.

The audience is taken around the block a few times -- and the world -- as the story unfolds, but there is never a dull moment.

All of the actors got into their roles extremely well, even to the point that my male companion, who shall remain nameless, began to fancy one of the characters in drag. Although, I have to admit, circus dancer Anya Neeze was quite sexy.

That's one thing that surprised me. Why were there no women in the cast? (Evidently there were some but all were working behind the scenes and chose not to perform in the spotlight.) That said, the boys managed to do very well on their own.

With superb costumes, professional backdrops, catchy songs and a wealth of talent, this turned out to be a great show.

And it was not your usual musical. Besides the fact that it finished with 14 men dressed in Union Jack dresses and red knee-high boots doing the Cann Cann, there was music from the Spice Girls, Queen and countless others.

Top marks go to Bryan Leach playing detective Scott Linyard, whose Scottish accent was, in the most part, excellent.

Other stars of the show included housemaid-come-thief Jacquelyn Hyde, played by Brian Averell, randy peacock, Middlesex, played by Ben Kornell, and paperboy Tab Lloyd, acted by Stefan Atkinson. No extra marks for spotting the play on words.

A mention has to go to director Tony Parise for putting together such an energetic show and choreographer Karen Pisani, for her work in actually getting the boys to dance well.

If you go to see the show and you don't laugh, I'll be very surpised.

The Jewel of Denial started last night and runs at the City Hall until next Monday, excpet for Sunday, April 2. Tickets cost $22 and are available at the Visitors' Service Bureau from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily (Tel:295-1727), and also at the City Hall box office from 7 p.m. on performance nights. (Tel: 292-2313).

Go and see it if you can. KAREN SMITH That's entertainment: The semi-circus act including Trixie DeTrade, (Daniel Hughes), left, Lionel Swallowmee, (Kevin Meyers), centre, and Anya Neeze, (Krishnan Unnikrishnan , right.

THEATRE REVIEW THR