For most of this past decade, the annual Not The Um Um Shows have probably been the most eagerly awaited event on the entertainment calendar. Crowds fought -- or at least rushed to queue up -- for the rare chance to laugh at themselves and their island-isolated lives.

Fans will be thrilled to know that this gifted quintet (Bruce Barritt, Fred Barritt, Sean Dill, Peter Smith and Tim Taylor) can now, literally, be yours for the asking. Feeling the strain, perhaps, of such additions as wives and families, they recently decided that some of the vast amounts raised in the past for countless charities, should now be guided toward their own piggy-banks. The new `stripped-down' version of their famous revue may now be hired for private parties, company functions, clubs, or any gathering that calls for a spot of comic conviviality.

It is reassuring to note that although this production is necessarily less elaborate in sets and costumes, the humour has lost none of its hilarious edge. While their wonderfully topical sketches and songs single out the good, the not so good, and the absolutely hopeless that make up this Island's hierarchy, it is all done in a way that never offends.

As always, it's Bermuda's politicians who bear the brunt of the most caustic attention (although the new Leader of the Opposition is serenaded with positive affection in `Hey there, St. George's girl!'), with timely and wholly expected digs about the handling of such hot topics as the Base lands, `unbiased' UBP phone polls and, of course, that apparently never-ending source of ironical merriment, the Civil Service.

Opening with a spot-on swipe at Bermuda's force-fed TV coverage of `the American experience at the Olympics', Bermuda's restaurants also came in for a bit of a tweak, with `MacManuel' ("I fix for you!'') sketch, and the fixed-star ascendancy of olive-oily Italians ("eet's chicken speciale!'').

Much of the 90 minutes of boisterous foolery is held together by Bruce Barritt, back again as MWK Radio Mohawk', the `Voice of St. David's' happily lampooning the singular standards of Bermudian broadcasting.

It is, of course, this group's inimitable ear for Bermudian accents and capturing that somewhat rueful, laid-back brand of humour which reduces audiences to paroxysms of mirth: there was an almost palpable sigh of contentment as the after-dinner audience settled back to listen in on their favourite `byes' sounding off in bars, restaurants and even gas stations, about the parlous state of the Bermudian body politic.

Their apparently effortless humour, like all good satiric comedy, is rooted in a formidable knowledge of current events and those who shape them, together with an irrepressible curiosity about the human psyche. By taking this roadshow round to various Island venues, these incorrigible chroniclers of the Bermudian experience are more than entertaining their fellow Bermudians. With the curse of political correctness managing to cast its ridiculous, yet increasingly repressive spell over a traditionally irreverent place like Bermuda, we should all be grateful irrepressible quintet is back in business.

Even faster paced than the Clayhouse sell-outs, the non-stop laughter, witty punch-lines and constantly updated jokes, makes this the sort of revue that can certainly stand more than one viewing. Make your bookings now.

PATRICIA CALNAN THEATRE REVIEW THR