On Saturday, get ready for one of April’s biggest laughs.

Nadanja Bailey is bringing “top-class” comedy to Ruth Seaton James Centre for the Performing Arts – if you’ve been to one of his shows before, you know he sets the bar high.

This weekend brings a mix of American and Bermudian entertainers.

“I just like the idea of keeping comedy alive in Bermuda,” said Nadanja, who hosts two big shows a year: Nadanja’s April Fools Comedy Show and Nadanja’s Birthday Comedy Show.

“I always have two local comics and then I bring in three comics from overseas. I've been doing it for a while now, so I have a long list of comics that want to come, and I do my due diligence to make sure that they are funny,” the comedian said.

Nadanja relies on trusted comics to help him choose his line-up, often seeking their opinions on who’s worth booking – and who isn’t. He also gets plenty of unsolicited requests from comedians eager to join his shows and has to bluntly tell them, “My list is long. We'll get there one day.”

He is confident Saturday’s line-up will bring in the laughs.

Stiletto, a travelling comic from Baltimore, Maryland known for her “unique style and flavour [and] powerhouse personality” is back after a standout performance here about five years ago.

Ron G, an Emmy Award-winning producer, comedian, actor, writer, and host who has “been entertaining audiences all around the world with his high energy and cleverness”, is often praised for his distinctive “urban flair”.

Meanwhile, New Yorker Isiah Kelly began acting and performing stand-up at the age of ten “under the tutelage of his father [Gerald Kelly] and other comedic icons such as Katt Williams and Mike Epps”.

According to United Talent Agency, the 31-year-old has a “multidimensional career” and has both headlined his own shows and toured alongside big names in comedy, including Lavell Crawford, known for playing Huell Babineaux in the series Breaking Bad, and Better Call Saul.

Local talents Jonathan Young and Gina Love will also grace the stage.

“None of [them had] performed here before, just Stiletto. And when she came before she was a feature [act], she would open shows. Now she's a headliner. And with this show I'm gonna struggle, because everybody is a headliner. I don't know who's gonna go first, second or third,” Nadanja said.

“The show is going to be great. Everybody on stage is a headliner, and that makes it exciting. So I'm looking forward to it. I'm excited for people to come out and get a good laugh. If you're going through something and you just need a good night out, this is where you need to be. If it's a girls’ night out, if you're married and things are going great in your marriage, here's another opportunity to keep that marriage good and strong.”

Performing regularly in front of a relatively small population presents its challenges, but the veteran comedian has found ways to keep audiences interested.

“Like any other comic, you talk about what's current. So last year, for my birthday in September, the thing that was hot was P Diddy,” he said, referring to the disgraced music mogul who stands accused of sex trafficking and sexual assault.

“Everybody did a bit on P Diddy. He took some licks that night. It’s all about what’s current. Whatever’s happening, you talk about it because everyone’s paying attention to it. That’s how I keep my material fresh – I talk about what’s current that I think everyone would know, things I hope that they’ve seen or heard about.”

For anyone looking for laughs, it’s a chance to see a great show without having to pay for airfare and a hotel. Like any top-tier production, Saturday’s performance will start promptly at 8.30pm.

“I’m just providing people with another entertainment option in Bermuda. We’re just so limited,” he said.

Does he get nervous before a show?

“Of course, I do. If I don't get nervous, then I know I'm supposed to do something different. I love it. Before I get on stage, I'm looking at the time – it’s 8.25, and I’m like, ‘All right, five minutes. What am I gonna do? I'll start with this, start with that …. I don’t know, play it by ear.’ And then once I'm on stage, and they start clapping, once I start talking, once I get that first laugh, then I'm fine after that.”

Although he doesn’t have a real problem with them, Nadanja has a warning for any would-be hecklers at his shows: “Let me do my thing. Don't say anything to me, or you will be a part of the show.”

• Nadanja’s April Fools Comedy Show takes place Saturday at 8.30pm at Ruth Seaton James Centre for the Performing Arts. Tickets, $70 for general admission and $120 for VIP, are available at 27th Century Boutique andbdatix.bm