NOT the Um Um Players, the longstanding comedy troupe who have lampooned many a politician in their 24-year history, are back after a four-year hiatus and this may be the last run before the group disband.

The politically incorrect quartet of Bruce and Fred Barritt, Chris Broadhurst and Tim Taylor took to the stage last night to open the 2009 Bermuda Festival for the Performing Arts and have scheduled shows for tonight, Saturday, Sunday and Monday at the City Hall Theatre in Hamilton.

Being that this year's Festival features many Bermudian performers in celebration of the island's 400th anniversary, Not the Um Um Players are a fitting opening act, which provides a cheeky and humorous look at Bermuda's past and present through skits and songs.

As a testament to their immense popularity, ticket sales for their original four shows sold out by lunch time on the first day so Festival organisers added two shows to the schedule, which also sold out just as quickly.

Getting the group together after a four-year break, however, wasn't as easy as ticket sales but once the jokes started rolling, the foursome gelled as well as they did in their heyday.

"It has been a bit of a challenge as daily work tends to get in the way of funny thoughts, however the writing sessions with the group got things going nicely," Bruce Barritt said.

"I am trying to enjoy it while it lasts. I suspect this will be our last outing on the stage."

It's the group's first appearance at the Festival.

Mr. Barritt thinks that this will be their first and "likely the last" time at the Festival, so loyal fans of the group and first-time audience members should savour these next couple of days as it looks to the be comedy troupe's swansong.

Influenced by Monty Python, the revolutionary comedy group from the late 1960s and '70s, group members are also fans "of most any cutting satire whether it be Canadian, American or English".

Their decidedly Bermudian name is a combination of the '80s UK comedy sketch show Not the Nine O'Clock News and very successful theatrical series The Um Um Show developed by Bermudian John White. According to Bill Rogers, one of the original founding members of the comedy group, they were "NOT them" – and shortly after the Not the Um Um Players were born.

Audiences will be treated to a mixture of new and classic material that locals and residents alike will enjoy and understand.

"We feel the show is a pleasing blend of new and classic sketches and songs, which will satisfy the discerning palate of the Festival crowds," Mr. Barritt said. "Especially after a few glasses of chardonnay."

Even if audience members have only been in Bermuda just for a short period and have picked up a newspaper, they are sure to 'get' some of the political and social jibes and jokes that make up the group's mainstay material.

"If you have been following the local news and have lived in Bermuda for a year you will recognise most of the material," Mr. Barrit said.